Embers
by LizzeXX
Summary: Arthur/OC - Three years have passed since Merlin and Morgana wed. Three years since Lancelot was returned. Three years since Arthur and Marayna, Merlin's sister, became king and queen and had an heir. But the threat of Morgause looms ever closer. What will happen when Mordred returns? Who will he side with in the end? Will Camelot and Arthur fall? Fifth in the Draconian Prophecies.
1. Arthur's Bane - Part 1

A/N: Hey there! Welcome to the fifth story, Embers, of my Merlin Series the Draconian Prophecies :) I would recommend new readers first read the prior four stories (Sparks, Flames, Burning, and Blazing), to understand the relationship my OC, Marayna, has with Merlin and Arthur and also Merlin's relationship with Morgana as she will have a VERY different role in this story ;) This story will follow the episodes but will also have an original chapter between most of them (except 2-parters) :)

This story should be about 23 chapters long and updated daily. This is also be an Arthur/OC (Merlin/Morgana, Gwen/Lancelot) story ;)

Quick description of the OC, Marayna is a tall, slightly gangly woman, with a bit of curly black hair. Her eyes are blue, like Merlin's, with the same cheekbones, smile and other features, as he's her brother ;) She seems to think her mouth is a bit small and her eyes are a tiny bit unlevel with each other. For a reference, to help in visualization, I picture the OC to look something like Natalie Dormer :)

I hope you enjoy :)

~8~ is a scene break.

"_italics_" are spells.

'_italics_' is telepathic talk between magic users.

Disclaimer: I do not own Merlin...Mordred would have been around more than he was :)

~8~

Arthur's Bane (Part 1)

"I swear to god, Arthur Pendragon, if you EVER touch me again I will KILL YOU!"

Arthur winced as Marayna screamed that at him...along with quite a few other obscenities he wasn't liable to repeat for fear of William picking it up...or the entirety of the kingdom knowing what sort of mouth their queen had. Though he doubted anyone would hold her accountable for half the things she was saying in the midst of another labor.

Marayna was with child, again, and in the middle of giving birth too...he couldn't feel his hand.

No, truly, he was starting to think it was broken at some point.

But his pain was nothing compared to Marayna's.

She gave one more scream and suddenly a baby's wails filled the room. Arthur took a peek at the child and a wide grin split across his face. He turned, pressing a kiss to Marayna's head, whispering in her ear, before he stood, actually hugging Merlin and allowed the man to kneel beside his sister, Gwen wiping her forehead off with a cool cloth. He rushed out of the room as the baby was cleaned by Gaius and Morgana, two Druid healers keeping an eye on Marayna in case she nearly bled out again, but she seemed stronger this time.

He hurried into the hall, "William!" he called, turning to scoop up the boy as he toddled over to him from where Lancelot was occupying him, "Guess what, big brother?"

"Sissy!?" the boy looked at his father, his eyes wide with hope.

Arthur had never known another small boy so eager to have a little sister as William, most thought girls were 'icky' and wanted little brothers but not his son. He was sure it had something to do with being around him and Morgana, Merlin and Marayna, and Gwen and Elyan for the last three years that had made the boy more desirous for a sister to watch over as he saw it with all of them, whatever it was, he was proud because he knew William would truly be an amazing older brother no matter what the baby was.

"Yes," he nodded, looking at the other knights that was with him, Elyan and Leon, both men having stayed behind while Gwaine and Percival were on a journey to Ismere, having been gone for…some weeks now. It was worrying how long they'd been off and he knew they'd have to send a search party for them, Gwaine had sworn on the tavern that he would be back in time for the latest birth, not wanting to miss it…for HIM to not be there after so many weeks…something was wrong. But he couldn't bring himself to send out a party till this had happened, till he knew the fate of his wife and, now, daughter, "Camelot has a new princess."

"What's her name?" Lancelot clapped Arthur on the back, knowing Marayna had wanted a little girl.

The royal couple had been holding off on having more children though. With the labor and what it had nearly done to Marayna, Arthur had wanted to wait long enough for her to truly regain her strength and heal internally (even with magic) before they tried for another child. They weren't actually trying though, they hadn't been. They'd been trying to hold off, to be honest, to allow Gwen or Morgana a chance for a child and, while both women were trying, it was taking a bit longer and Marayna had ended up with child once more. And now she had her little girl.

Gwen was…especially happy now, in much better spirits. Because her husband was back, he was alive and he was real, he was truly back. Merlin, Marayna, Morgana, Gaius, and quite a few of the Druids, Catha, and Bloodguard had done as many spells and enchantments and tests as they could on him…and he was truly back. The power of Life and Death had brought him back using the deaths of the Southrons. A story had been made for the people, that the tear they thought had killed him had just transported him to the other end of the world and he'd spent a year trying to get back to Gwen. The people were overjoyed to have him back, but none more than Gwen.

"Rosaline," Arthur said, "In honor of Sir Lucan," he added.

They'd received word that the honorable knight had passed on only one month prior. And Arthur's mind had gone right to everything Marayna had told him of the man, his friendship with Uther, the loss of his daughter. It had really gotten to him, hearing about the man and, now that he was a father, it hit him all the harder to imagine what the man had gone through with his daughter, how he'd still held onto his good heart despite his tragic loss. He'd asked Marayna, if it were a girl, if they could name her Rosaline and when he told her why, she'd been more than happy to. They couldn't give the man back his daughter but they could honor her memory. And Marayna felt it was a symbolic and meaningful name as well. While their son was a bridge between two worlds, a Dragonlord by birth (though they hadn't brought him to see Kilgharrah yet or test that out), their daughter, her name, she would be symbolic in how Arthur was trying to heal the past crimes against those with magic, naming his daughter after another little girl who had had it, an innocent girl, a GOOD girl.

"That's a beautiful name Sire," Leon offered.

"She's a beautiful girl," Arthur nodded, tears in his eyes, "Like her mother," he looked at his son, "Want to see her?"

William nodded eagerly, his black, curly locks bobbing with his head. It was amusing, to Arthur, how much William looked like Marayna, her hair, her cheekbones and smile, but his eyes and build. He wasn't as gangly as Marayna and Merlin were, but sturdier, stronger. He truly looked like a little prince, and though he favored wearing red like his father, proud that he was the King's son and he couldn't be more proud of his son. He tried, so hard, to be a different king and father than his own had been. He sat up with his son when he'd been a baby, fed him, bathed him, clothed him, all himself. Marayna had been SO proud of him as well and had truly appreciated his agreement to her request not to take on a wet nurse for the boy. It was…truly just amazing how much closer he felt to his son having cared for him himself. To be the one to hold him and feed him, to be that responsible for him…he could never remember his own father, or even quite a few other noblewomen, doing the same for their own children, but that was what he loved about his wife. They hadn't had a personal servant in…ages, years really, they preferred to take care of themselves, clothe each other and keep their own chambers clean and their own fire going. It had carried over to their child, THEY wanted to be the one caring for them. He had Marayna to thank for that, she showed him the joy and pride that came with doing things on his own.

He'd actually come to do a lot on his own now, everything he could really that didn't require help of others to really get done. Putting on his armor did require help to get the straps and everything done and secure, but other than that, he really tried to do what he could. Except cooking, he was rubbish at cooking, unless it was on a hunt. He did go to the kitchens for that.

Arthur turned and stepped back into the room, seeing Marayna was sitting up on the cot, holding their daughter in her arms, the baby much quieter than William had been. He'd been surprised just how quickly Marayna had adapted to being a mother given she hadn't ever considered being one till she'd found out she was with child. She'd confided that she was completely and utterly terrified and she was trying to make it up as she went. But Hunith had come to stay in Camelot soon after William had been born, to help teach her daughter what to do, before she'd headed back to Ealdor. As much as she loved her children, her life was in Ealdor, it was the place that she had met and spent time with Balinor, it was her home, Camelot was the place and the reason her love was gone and so she wasn't fond of staying there too long. Not to mention, there was Mordred to think on. Hunith visited each year, on William's birthday, much like Tristan and Isolde did, surprisingly, and last year she had said that Mordred had left, had wanted to go out and see the world, see what other magic was out there. He was a…strong and strapping young man now, according to her. They hadn't seen him in years though, not since Merlin and Morgana's wedding as he'd needed to stay back and tend the fields while their mother visited them.

Marayna had done quite well, though she'd had Morgana and Gwen to help, as they'd promised. And it was good practice for the two women for when they had children of their own one day. And now she had her girl as he had his boy. He carried William over to the little girl, sitting beside Marayna and turning William in his arms to look at his sleeping sister. He could see tufts of blonde hair on her head and just knew instantly that he'd have his work cut out for him fending the various princes and lords (and servants) away from his daughter as she grew older. If she was half as beautiful as her mother he'd end up going to war within moments of her meeting foreign princes.

"William," Marayna smiled at her son, shifting Rosaline in her arms to take her son's hand, "Say hello to your sister, Rosaline."

"Ros…Rosin…Ros…" William struggled to speak. He was quite the talkative child, but he did struggle with words that were three syllables or more, "Roslin!" he cheered.

Arthur chuckled, "He's going to end up just calling her Lyn isn't he?" he guessed, thinking of how Merlin had ended up calling her Aya because he couldn't pronounce 'Marayna' correctly as a child.

"Probably," she laughed, "Must be a curse in my family that the boys can't pronounce their sister's names," she shot a playful look at Merlin as he rolled his eyes.

"Makes their bond all the more special," Merlin defended.

Arthur reached out to touch his daughter's cheek, the girl blinking her eyes open and he let out a breath, she had Marayna's eyes. They both had blue eyes, but Marayna's were a different shade than him, "Ok…" he nodded, "It's settled then."

"What?" Marayna looked at him, her hair braided on the side, hanging over her shoulder.

"That shade of blue," he nodded at their daughter before touching his wife's cheek, "It's forbidden to be worn by the noblewomen of Camelot."

Marayna laughed and shook her head, leaning over to rest her head on Arthur's shoulder as they looked at William reach out and take Rosaline's hand, his other hand with his thumb stuck in his mouth as the little girl yawned and fell asleep.

~8~

Arthur and Marayna entered the Hall of Ceremonies where a large round table had been placed. The time where she and Merlin had been on the run and taken in by the Druids had stuck with Arthur very much, thinking about the equality of all those around him, the circle of life, balance, it had reminded him of an old round table in a ruin not far from Camelot. He'd wanted to adapt that ideal, take the table idea and add it to Camelot. Knowing Marayna and Merlin had made him realize that the lives of those around him were not less important than his life, nor was his more important than any other. Nor should opinions and thoughts and ideas. He wanted open dialogue, he wanted everyone to feel like they were a part of events and had equal say, nobles and servants and knights alike. So he'd had a large round table commissioned and created a new council of his own.

He had spoken to the members of his father's council within months after William had been born, thanked them for their duty to his father but emphasized that his wife was right in her speech to the people after their coronation, he was not his father and he wanted to do things differently, he couldn't accomplish that with the men who would tell him what they'd tell his father to do. They didn't understand him and it had taken him far too long to work up the nerve to dismiss them. He did keep one or two of them, namely just Gaius and Geoffrey to sit in his council, more to appease the others that the wisdom that had helped Uther would still be heard at some point. But they were also men he knew understood who HE was and what HE wanted to do with his kingdom. The new council was composed of those men, the knights that knew of Merlin and Marayna and Morgana's magic, Gwen, and himself, along with Merlin, Marayna, and Morgana of course. Geoffrey had been told of their magic, which had shocked him, but upon learning that Arthur had known for years now and that he had accepted it…he knew what the two were like, he trusted them, so he kept his silence as well.

There were two new additions to the way the castle was run, besides a small handful of Druids and Catha being incorporated into the villages and the serving staff in disguise, Benedict had been taken in as the official guard for William and now Rosaline. He was currently in the small nursery/playroom that had been set up in their chambers, in the room that had once been reserved for the servants to stay in, allowing them to be closer to their children till they were old enough to require a room of their own. Benedict had taken to William instantly and Marayna was thankful the man was taking his task of guarding the prince as seriously as he was…it meant he spent less time trying to guard HER and follow her and glare at people who passed her or smiled at her. He was very overprotective and she'd rather that be on her children than her. Another addition was a girl, Sefa, who had been assigned as Morgana's new maid. The woman had gone her life with a maidservant and, even though she was sure she could handle not having one, with Gwen now a minor Lady with the official return of Lancelot, she was more a companion to her and Marayna than a servant. Arthur had requested one be assigned to Morgana and that had been Sefa. She was a good enough girl, did her duties, but Morgana had noticed a bit of distance, as though she held firm to the belief that servants should be seen and not heard, tend to their masters and mistresses and not get in the way or try to rise above their station and be friends despite knowing that Gwen and Morgana had been friends for ages despite Gwen being her servant. Sefa was standing off to the side, one of the few servants allowed into the council meetings.

"Noble Knights of Camelot, countrymen, friends," Arthur began as he stood at his seat at the table, Marayna sitting beside him, Merlin and Morgana beside her, Lancelot and Gwen beside him, a week after Rosaline had been born, "I welcome you to this meeting of the Round Table. For three long years, we have been blessed with peace and prosperity. But now, it seems a shadow has been cast across our lands. Sir Gwaine set off for Ismere some six weeks ago. With him went three score of our finest men. There has been no word from them since. At my request, Sir Elyan led a search party to the wastelands of the north. He found no trace of Gwaine or his men. It is as if they have vanished from the face of the Earth."

Elyan stood, setting down a map, having returned only last night from his quest, having left the morning after Rosaline had been born, "We know Gwaine and his men crossed the pass, here, at Isulfor," he pointed, "But beyond that, there was no trace. The trail went cold."

"There were rumors that the fortress of Ismere had been occupied again," Morgana looked at him, "Is there any truth in that?"

Elyan nodded, "I heard many such rumors, my Lady, all of them had one name in common... Morgause."

"Then we have no time to lose," Arthur straightened.

"What if the rumors are true, Sire?" Gaius frowned, "You may be walking into a trap."

"The Knights of Camelot do not abandon their own," Lancelot recited with determination.

Gwen reached out to take his hand, "Morgause will know that though, she'll be waiting."

"Well then," Merlin smirked, "We'll just have to make sure she won't be waiting for some…extra surprises," he looked at Arthur pointedly, making the man smile at what he was offering to do.

"I should like to accompany you as well," Morgana added, "Morgause may be…" she shook her head, unable to find a strong enough word for complete psychotic and out of her mind, "But I spent a year with her, when her mind and thoughts were unguarded. I may yet be able to guess how she will act and think."

Arthur nodded, knowing it was code for her visions. She had been working for years now on her fire scrying and had finally mastered it. If she saw anything in the flames, she would need to be close enough to warn him. He was starting to think he should request Sefa not stay for these meetings, or speak to them about telling the girl of their magic as he didn't want this code and secrecy between them especially when all there but Sefa knew of their magic.

"What if you take a different route to throw her," Marayna suggested, "Annis would be able to assist, perhaps allow you to pass through her lands."

"It would certainly take Morgause by surprise," Gaius agreed.

"Would Annis grant safe passage to so many armed men?" he looked at Leon, knowing the man was more in the know of the status of the relations with Annis. He had assigned each of his most trusted knights to focus on one of the other kingdoms that Camelot had truces with, they would be the ones that specialized in relations with that particular kingdom, Annis's was Leon's.

"I believe she would, Sire," Leon nodded.

"Dispatch a rider immediately," he ordered, "We'll follow at dawn. Remember, if we're to succeed, no one must know of our intentions."

"Do you really think Gwaine and Percival could still be alive?" Gwen looked at Arthur as the council started to disband.

"We have to find out either way," Marayna agreed, "William would be devastated if anything happened to his uncles."

"Especially Gwaine," Merlin joked, making Arthur groan inwardly.

The king was quite sure that Gwaine was going to corrupt his son and what little manners they were trying to instill on the three year old.

~8~

Finding a village full of corpses was NOT something Arthur, Merlin, or Morgana had expected to see on their way towards Annis's lands. They had set out with a small squadron of knights that morning as decided, Marayna forced to stay in the castle as she was Queen and the children required their mother still, especially Rosaline. Benedict, Lancelot, and Gwen were remaining with her, along with Gaius, which left the three of them, Elyan and Leon to go after the missing me. Arthur had wanted at least one knight to remain behind with his wife and, after what happened with the tear in the worlds, Lancelot was more inclined to remain with his own wife and protect the castle for which Arthur was grateful.

They wandered through the village, the entire area looking as though a massacre had occurred, trying to find any survivors when Merlin slowed, '_Emrys…_' he could hear in his mind, '_Emrys…_'

He looked at Morgana and nodded to the side, the woman catching Arthur's gaze and giving him a look. He nodded back, signaling for them to go and he would join them in moments, but he needed to see to the knights first. Of all the ones that had accompanied them, only Elyan and Leon knew of their magic.

They followed the call until Merlin stopped dead, spotting an older man lying on the ground, gasping for breath and rushed over to him, "What happened to you?" he knelt by the man, "Who did this to your village?"

"Hold still," Morgana reached out to try and heal him, "I can help…"

"No…" the man wheezed, grabbing Morgana's hand to stop her, "No…my time has come. I have been haunted by this moment for many years... since long before you or your sister set foot on this Earth, Emrys," Merlin stiffened, realizing that this man had to be a Druid, and not just that, a Seer as well, "I have waited for its arrival with the sorrow in my heart. For even as Camelot flowers, so the seeds of her destruction are being sown. The prophets speak of Arthur's bane. You would do well to fear it, for it stalks him like a ghost in the night. Unless you act quickly, Emrys, neither you, nor Reesa, will be able to alter the never-ending circle of his...fate," he let out a pained breath and the hand that had been holding Morgana's fell back to a small puddle of water beside him.

Merlin and Morgana looked over, seeing a vision in the water, both of them. Mordred, a man they could only assume was Mordred as he looked like the boy from the last time they'd seen him, just older, was rushing through a field towards an injured Arthur as the man knelt on the ground, wounded…before Mordred ran him through with his sword…

Morgana gasped in horror at seeing that, but then…the image shimmered in the water. Mordred was running through the field, just like before, heading right for an injured Arthur…but instead of running him through, he lifted his blade to block a fatal blow coming at him from behind, fighting to defend the fallen king.

The image faded and the two looked at each other, not sure what it meant, "It's like with me," Morgana breathed, guessing, "My fate could have gone light or dark," she recalled, "I chose light."

Merlin started to nod, "Mordred will have to make a choice…" he realized, and one…one would lead to Arthur's death.

"He wouldn't do that," Morgana shook her head, "He owes Arthur his life, he wouldn't kill him."

Merlin nodded at that, "I know," he whispered, Mordred…he was like family to them, he'd been raised by their mother, he had held William in his arms, he'd been there for their wedding…Mordred, they just couldn't fathom him doing something like that.

Not Mordred.

"Is he alive?" Arthur's voice called from behind them, making his way over to see them crouched beside the man's body. He let out a breath, seeing the man was dead, "As soon as we've given these people a proper burial, we're moving out, we'll need everyone's help…" he trailed off seeing tears in Morgana's eyes, Merlin holding her closer as he helped her up, "What is it?" he looked at them, "What's wrong?"

Merlin swallowed and looked at Morgana who nodded, they had to tell him.

~8~

"A seer?" Arthur frowned that night as they sat by a fire, the knights asleep around them, the words that Merlin and Morgana had told him just now plaguing him, "You're certain?"

Morgana nodded, "I've spent time with the different seers of the clans," she reminded him, "This one had a black spiral within a thin, yellow coil. It's a mark of the Vates, the Druidic seers.

"And he claimed that my Bane, or something was near and that I'd fall in battle?"

"Well, he more showed us that second one," Merlin corrected, unable to bring himself to say that it was Mordred who had ended his life in one vision of it. Until they knew if the vision was even true, which vision might be true…they couldn't do it, they just couldn't say it. Mordred was someone important to all of them and to think of him like that…they didn't want to tarnish their thoughts or feelings on the boy when the second vision could be the one that happened in the end.

Whatever it was, they would do everything they could to make sure that the second vision was the one that happened.

"There was a battle," Merlin elaborated, "You were fighting and then wounded and…and then you fell."

"The Vates are one of the most powerful Seers," Morgana added, "They train their entire lives in this craft…"

"Morgana would have probably been one if she'd discovered her power earlier," Merlin remarked.

Arthur nodded at that, hearing the hidden words in it, if Uther hadn't banned magic and made it a death sentence to even inquire about it, Morgana's life would have been better.

"There's a very good chance that this battle will happen Arthur," Morgana warned.

"You think I should heed his warning?" Arthur looked at them.

"We think you can't afford not to," Merlin remarked, "You're not just the king Arthur, you're my sister's husband, you're a FATHER now. You have to be inordinately more careful in battle from now on."

Arthur looked down, he had planned to, actually, to be more careful, to try not to go to war, to keep the peace he'd been trying to make the last three years. It was remarkable how much more determined he was to fight with a pen instead of a sword when he had a son to think on. He could understand his father's desires now, to take his place when he'd go into combat. All those times he'd been angry that the man had taken his 'honor' and had made him seem a 'coward' he realized…he'd do the same, to save his son, he would gladly risk his own life and take his place. But he was trying harder than ever, to create a time of peace. He wanted to pass on an era of peace and prosperity to his children, not the fear and war and paranoia of his father.

He was nearly there, he was nearly at the point where he could safely change the laws regarding magic. It had taken great effort, patience, and quite a bit of cunning on the part of his wife, sister, and brother-in-law, to get them to this point. He needed peace, he needed peace to surround his people, he needed them to feel calm and secure and protected for them to be open to him changing the laws about an evil most of them had been raised to believe existed in magic. For three years he had worked tirelessly. There had been NO battles against Camelot, no wars, no attacks of any kind from any enemy. The Bloodguard and Catha and Druids protected the realm from three sides, surrounding Camelot in three areas, the fourth was left to the forest the three magic-users in his family had created. With the peace and security Camelot now felt…with the fact that NO magical threat had been felt against them, it was exactly the environment that he needed. For the last three years, there had been no executions either, no decrees of the law being broken.

At least not in public.

All of that, every threat that made it through was dealt with quickly and subtly and in secrecy. All magic-users that were taken to the dungeons or captured by the guards, those that were innocent were released quietly, more like they 'escaped' but he made no outward effort to go after them as not many knew they were there to begin with. Those who were guilty were executed in public still…but the crimes they were executed for were specifically free of magical references. If they tried to kill him or Marayna, they were executed for that, if they happened to use magic to try it…ALL he said was that they made an attempt on the Queen's life, with no mention of the magic. Magic was merely their tool to see it done, like a dagger would be. It was much like with Alice, how Marayna had looked past the magic used and seen the crime that was committed. He made a point of ONLY looking at the crime and not the tool behind it.

So, as far as the people knew, there had been no magical threat. And, when the time came to alter the laws, hopefully soon as the joy of having a princess would soften their spirits more, if any argued against it, he could bring up all those executed and reveal they DID have magic, but that wasn't their crime.

But he was trying, he was being careful, he was striving for peace. He didn't want a battle such as the one Merlin and Morgana had described, he wanted to avoid that. It was almost like hearing that his plans and efforts would fail…but also that, for all his efforts in being careful…he might fall in battle as well.

He nodded to himself, he was not going to let himself be frightened of this, if it happened, he would face it, he would merely use the knowledge to enlighten his efforts.

"No matter what the future may hold," he began, "No matter what adversity we face, we stand for what is right. Come what may for me in the future, but for the present...I swear I'm going to rescue my men. They're more than friends, more than brothers. No matter what lies ahead of me... I won't abandon them, as I know they would not abandon me. As I know YOU would not abandon me," he gave Merlin a pointed look, recalling all the times Merlin had gone after him.

Merlin smiled at that, "Then I swear I will protect you or die at your side."

"That would be rather pointless."

Merlin frowned, "Why?"

Arthur chuckled, "If you die protecting me...your wife and my wife will both kill me afterwards."

Morgana leaned over, kissing Merlin's cheek as she linked her arm through his, "He's right," she whispered in his ear, "You are not allowed to die," she warned him, "I am not yet done loving you."

Merlin nodded, leaning over to rest his forehead to hers, "Nor I you."

~8~

Marayna stood in her rooms, swaying with Rosaline in her arms, looking out the window as Gwen and Lancelot sat on the floor, playing with William. She was looking out the window absently, Benedict sleeping in the nursery, poor man had been worn out by William that day. The boy was very energetic and clumsy, like Merlin and she had been and tended to wear out those around him. Rosaline, she was hoping would be a bit easier and calmer…though she doubted it. The girl kicked her harder during her pregnancy than her brother had.

She took a breath at that, looking out the window, she always did that, when Arthur went somewhere without her, even if he took an entire army with him, which he rarely had in the last three years, but she just…watched for him to return. Oh she had plenty to do during the day, run an entire kingdom on her own essentially…but at night, when it was her time to herself and her children, she would look out there for him, just incase he came back.

She smiled, looking down at Rosaline as she shifted and made a noise in her sleep, reaching out to touch her daughter's small hand, she slept a lot, she'd noticed. Slept just like Merlin did, deep and hardly woke till she wanted to.

She looked up, back out the window, her smile slowly fading when she saw someone making their way across the courtyard, looking around as though worried of being seen.

"Gwen," she called, keeping her eye on the figure, recognizing it as it turned back to check over her shoulder, "Sefa…" she began, "She lives IN the castle yes?"

Gwen nodded, "One of the few yes."

Lancelot frowned, "What's wrong?" he asked, passing William off to Gwen and standing, joining her at the window to see Sefa rushing off, "I'll find out," he murmured to Marayna before he turned and rushed out of the room.

Marayna ran a hand through her hair, a pit forming in her stomach.

~8~

Arthur was quiet, thoughtful, as he and his men packed up their camp. They'd gone through Annis's lands just the other day, had had a meal with the Queen and learned quite a good deal about what was happening. The Saxons had been raiding her villages, the one they'd passed, Asgorath, was one of the unfortunate ones that had been hit. The men were apparently being captured and taken to Ismere where it appeared Morgause was tearing the small citadel apart looking for something. It was a rather good and bad thing, good in that it meant his men were likely still alive, but bad as he could only imagine what Morgause was searching for that would require so much effort.

It couldn't be anything good.

He paused, hearing a horse neigh nearby and pulled his sword, the other knights doing the same, Merlin and Morgana stepping closer to each other, all of them on alert. He looked over at the magic-users, giving them a small nod. They'd gotten remarkably skilled at not using their magic in an obvious way, but a very subtle way, which would be very useful now as there were handfuls of knights who had no idea about their magic still.

"Arthur!" Morgana gasped, pointing at a mist before them…where a rather large army of Saxons was heading for them.

"We're surrounded," Merlin looked around.

"We can't stay here," Leon agreed, backing up to them.

Arthur looked over, spotting Morgause on a horse, riding with the men, "Run!" he ordered his men, knowing that there would likely be a showdown of magical proportions and he couldn't risk Merlin and Morgana put in the middle of that and forced to expose their magic. If he could disband his men quickly enough, THEN they could attack.

The men ran, scattering, but the Saxons had already reached them, forcing a battle to begin. Merlin pulled out his staff from the horse he'd been taking, Morgana grabbing a sword, the two of them rushing out to help, using their magic to make their blocks and strikes sharper and stronger, taking out more men than they should have been able to, but none of the men noticed in the middle of the battle. They looked over, hearing Leon cry out in pain to see an older man had struck him in the leg, injuring him. Arthur was already making his way over to the man, taking out soldiers as he went, a few Morgana and Merlin helping with. But when he reached Leon, when he faced the man that had hurt the knight, the man managed to land a blow against the king, striking him in the head and knocking him to the ground. Elyan rushed up, defending the king as Merlin and Morgana rushed over, catching sight of Leon.

"Go!" Leon ordered and they nodded, dragging Arthur away from the battle, to the cover of the trees.

Morgana looked over as she heard two Saxons riding closer, trying to find them, and hissed, "Astige ðu wyrm," making a snake slither out from the bushes to scare the horses back, giving them time to magically lift Arthur and rush away with him.

~8~

Marayna stood before her throne in the Main Hall as Leon and Elyan reported to the attack, having returned beaten and bloody, but alive, "We were ambushed," Leon swallowed, "Morgause and a band of Saxons attacked us as we crossed the border into Ismere."

Marayna nodded, taking a breath, "I take it Merlin and Morgana were able to get Arthur away?"

"Yes," Elyan agreed, "They escaped. But…we don't know where they've gone."

"How could Morgause have known?" Gwen breathed, stepping over to Marayna and taking her hand, offering her strength, all too aware of what it felt like to fear for your husband.

"How could she have known that Arthur was approaching from that direction?" Gaius agreed.

Lancelot cleared his throat and stepped forward, "I fear someone has betrayed us," he looked at Marayna solemnly.

She closed her eyes, guessing exactly who it was, "Bring her to me," she ordered Lancelot as he nodded and headed out.

~8~

Lancelot strode into the Main Hall to see court had been called, as was required of a situation such as this, Sefa led in by the arm, and stopped before the Queen as he moved to take his place beside Gwen, as Marayna stood before her. As much as Marayna and Arthur had tried to keep crimes private…this wasn't magic, this wasn't an attempt on their life…this was treason.

"On your knees," one of the guards called, stepping closer, one on each side of her.

Sefa looked between them before slowly getting on her knees, "What have I done?"

"You were standing in on the council meeting Arthur gave the night before he set out for Ismere with his men," Marayna began.

"Yes…" she said slowly, "I was tending to the Princess Morgana."

Marayna nodded, "And later, the night after he left…you were walking through the courtyard. Where were you going?"

"Nowhere."

"Sefa you have been a servant in this castle for three years now," Marayna eyed her, "And I have known Lancelot…oh god I feel old now," she smiled, looking at Lancelot, "About 10 years now. I trust him, as I like to think I trust you as well. But when HE tells me that you left the city through the south gate…I believe him. So please. No lies. Did you leave the city?"

"Yes, my Lady," Sefa bowed her head.

"To see who?" but Sefa was quiet, "Sefa…"

"You wouldn't understand," she murmured.

'_Try me._'

Sefa gasped and looked up at her, seeing the queen smirking, her voice echoing inside her mind!

"Tell me who you went to meet," Marayna repeated, looking Sefa in the eye, but the woman seemed stunned.

'_Trust me,_' Marayna's voice echoed in her head again.

Sefa took a deep breath, breathing out, "My father. I saw my father."

"Let me guess, you told him about Arthur's plans then?"

Sefa swallowed, staring at her with wide eyes.

'_I need the truth._'

"He only wants what's rightfully his," Sefa shook her head out of her shock, "Were he a physician or a warrior, his skills would be revered. But sorcery! He deserves respect like any man."

'_I agree,_' Marayna nodded slowly, seeming to the others as though she were realizing the plot against her husband, though Sefa frowned, seeing it as a different sort of nod.

"But respect should be earned," Marayna continued, "I don't respect anyone unless they earn it from me."

"You respect the king!" Sefa pointed out.

"And I punched him two days into knowing him," Marayna remarked, making Gwen smile and Lancelot cover up a cough, "He had to work to earn my respect just as anyone else. And what you have done…" she shook her head, "Our men were ambushed, many were killed, others were taken captive and the king was injured…"

'_You should not have reacted so rashly,_' Marayna's voice said in her head at the same time, '_Have you seen anyone executed in this kingdom for having magic in your time as servant?_'

Sefa winced at that, looking down, the court thinking her repentant for her crimes, but she was truly just realizing that no…no one had been killed for their magic in three years now, "I didn't mean to..."

'_Sefa look at me._'

"I am sorry," Marayna spoke when Sefa looked up, "But you have committed treason against Camelot."

'_Keep calm._'

"And for that reason alone, having no tie to your father's abilities, I must find you guilty of that treason."

'_Don't fight and don't struggle._'

"You shall be executed."

'_Don't fear, this is just for show._'

Sefa gasped and looked up at her with wide eyes, hearing that. Not only was the Queen of Camelot speaking in her mind, just like a magic-user could, like SHE could with her father when they were near enough, but…she was telling her that she wasn't truly going to be executed, that it was all for show, that it wasn't real.

"Do you understand?"

Sefa nodded slowly.

Marayna looked at the guards, "Take her to the dungeons."

'_I shall see you soon and all shall be well,_' Marayna looked at her, Sefa blinking rapidly, panting, not liking being carried off by the guards and her execution ordered but too shocked at what she had just heard_._

Marayna sighed and ran a hand through her hair, turning to stride out of the room, it always took a lot of effort and concentration to be able to speak out loud at the same time she was speaking to a magic-user in their mind.

~8~

Arthur, Merlin, and Morgana strode through the forests, heading for Ismere, all of them with determined looks on their faces. Morgana had healed Arthur's head wound as the king rested a safe distance away. But the moment he woke, they all knew that their mission hadn't changed, they were going to head to Ismere and they were going to rescue their men. Morgana didn't doubt that Morgause had likely left Elyan or Leon or at least one knight to report back to Camelot the state that she'd left them in, that Arthur had been wounded, that the men were captured, if just to try and make the Queen fearful.

Morgause was still underestimating Marayna's fortitude it seemed. And that was to their benefit.

Now though, they had to reach Ismere before dark and they knew they would. They would have transported themselves there, but as they didn't know if Morgause might have magical wards around to alert her to their appearance, they felt it best to go on foot. Arthur wasn't even remotely worried as they walked on, he trusted Merlin and Morgana and their skills as he knew they trusted his judgment. Even Merlin, who was typically against things like this, dangerous missions with little odds of success, was quiet and strong in his strides. He knew why, there was no reason to try and dissuade him. They were too far from Camelot to head back and return with more men without being caught again, they were safe and undetected for now, and he knew about the vision the Druidic Seer had given them. He was aware of this danger that was approaching him, his Bane of his, and they knew he wasn't ignoring the warning, but not letting it deter him or force his hand.

However, no matter how determined they might be…traps had a way of forcing one's hand and stalling one's progress.

And they had stumbled right into one.

They'd taken one step and ended up in a rope trap that pulled them up into the air in a net, trapping them. Or so they were sure their captors had hoped. But Morgana looked up, her eyes flashing, and the ropes right at the top snapped, sending them toppling back down to the ground, rolling onto their sides in pain from the fall, small though it was, they'd all landed awkwardly because of how they'd been scooped up.

Arthur turned, trying to grab his sword as it fell beside him…only for a boot to step on it, "Not so fast," an older man stated, wearing furs and black clothing, a Saxon. Before Arthur could even react, before Merlin or Morgana could get up, a handful of other men stepped out from around the trees and surrounded them. Arthur held his hand up as he slowly stood to face the man, signaling for Merlin and Morgana to hold back…this might be what they needed to reach Ismere. If these Saxons were working for Morgause as well…there was a chance they'd be taken right to her and the other men, "The King of Camelot," the man greeted, looking at the sword he'd picked up, examining it, "You will fetch a handsome price. Alive or dead," and aimed the sword at Arthur's chest, "Any last requests?"

Arthur was silent, knowing that any request wouldn't be heeded. He'd want Morgana and Merlin released, but if they worked for Morgause, they'd want Morgana, and even if they didn't work for the woman, they'd still want the Princess and Prince of Camelot, the brother and sister-in-law to the Queen still in the castle. There was no request he could make that would see any of them free.

"Very well then," the man smirked, lifting the sword, ready to strike when…

"Stop!" a voice called from the side, a young boy, nearly a man, stepped forward with bright blue eyes and the blackest of hair. Morgana let out a small breath when his gaze flickered to her, recognizing him instantly. He forced his gaze back to the man with Arthur's sword, "Shouldn't we leave it to the Lady Morgause to decide their fate?" the man smirked and nodded, sheathing Arthur's sword but motioning for his men to follow him, to lower their weapons, and ready to head out.

The boy looked back at Arthur, "Remember me?" he smiled.

Arthur shook his head, smiling, "Mordred," he reached out to take the boy's arm, clasping it in greeting.

Mordred nodded, knowing he couldn't give them a better greeting than that with the Saxons watching, appearing too familiar with them would get them killed, "Hello Arthur."

To be continued…

A/N: Lol, did you like the little surprise start? Little Rosaline :) Awww :) WIlliam's a big brother now :) And Arthur has a little baby girl to be even more over protective over ;) Since William is 3 now, I felt like we needed Arthur with a real baby to fret over :)

Some notes on reviews...(from the end of Blazing)...

A few more smiles and tears to come, but I won't say if the tears are happy or sad }:)

Yup, Lancelot is really back :)


	2. Arthur's Bane - Part 2

Arthur's Bane (Part 2)

Merlin, Arthur, and Morgana had been tugged along by the Saxons all day, resting only for the night. It had been a rather solemn affair really. Merlin and Arthur's hands had been bound by rope and chains, attached to 8 other men and forced to march with them towards Ismere where Morgause was hiding. Morgana, only on account of her being a lady, though the Saxons didn't seem to care much for that, and because Mordred had argued for it, had been allowed to sit on the back of the wagon that the ropes were attached to, facing Merlin and Arthur as they walked. Arthur had never been more irritated that he had no magic.

That was a shock for the son of Uther Pendragon to think.

But looking at his sister and brother-in-law, he could tell that they were conversing silently in their minds and, from how Mordred glanced back at them, he was aware of the plans and a part of it too. They'd had to cross over the mountains, left to endure the cold and the snow. He'd given his cape to Morgana for warmth, but it wasn't needed. He was truly starting to appreciate the wonders of magic. Merlin cast a warming charm on the cape as he put it in Morgana, Morgana casting one on Merlin's jacket as she tugged it, and Merlin, when he 'bumped' into him, cast it on him as well. The three of them hardly felt the cold, which couldn't be said for the men around them, left in their rags of clothes. Mordred was bundled up in black leather and furs, a scarf and hood over his head to help him endure the cold. Still, he was a little thankful that the magic users had the ability to communicate like that. It was…unnatural how silent it was without Merlin jabbering on, but he'd seen the Saxon leader, Ragnor, strike more than one man for trying to speak 'without being spoken to' first.

He had to be honest in his worries though, he had no idea how Mordred had come to be in the Saxon troop. He knew that the boy had left Hunith some months ago to make his own way, but how could the boy he remembered have gotten caught up in a crowd like THIS? That was something he couldn't understand though Morgana had a small smile on her face the entire time, unless one of the other Saxons looked at her so he hoped it meant that she knew. He just had to be patient till he could speak to them without fear of being caught and see what was going on.

They'd marched all day through the snow, and rested at night, though even then they hadn't been fed. Neither he, Merlin, or Morgana dared speak to Ragnor, even as he taunted them with food around the campfire that night. He'd thrown food at them, a scrap of bread that landed too far away for them to get to being chained up. He knew Morgana especially was itching to get out of her binds, bad memories of when Uther would chain her in the dungeon for her 'insolence' coming up no doubt.

He'd nearly gotten ill thinking on that now. Looking back at how his father had acted towards him, towards Morgana…he couldn't imagine a father being like that to his children. HE couldn't imagine being like that to William or Rosaline no matter what they did. They were…two of his most precious treasures and he would guard them and protect them with his life 1000 times over. He couldn't stand the thought of throwing his daughter into the dungeons, of chaining her up to the point where her wrists were raw from struggling. He couldn't imagine putting such high expectations on his son or to raise him to be so fearful of speaking against him. He wanted his boy strong, he wanted his son to fight for what was right, to voice when he felt someone was being wronged. He didn't doubt William would come to inherit that from Marayna though, he'd have no trouble speaking his mind in the future…he just hoped it would be a bit more civilly and less coarse at times than Marayna. His son would be the future king, he would need to know how not to start a war.

They hadn't eaten that night, though Mordred had tried to get them all food. It reminded him a bit of Hunith, seeing the boy's concern even for 'prisoners.' It was another thing that made him confused as to how Mordred had ended up there. The last time he'd seen the boy, for Merlin and Morgana's wedding, he'd shaken his hand, looking him right in the eye, and thanked him for taking care of Reesa and Emrys, saying they were like family to him after all they'd done for him. That boy was far too honorable and far too good to fall in with men like the Saxons. He'd proved it in trying to get them actual food, but Ragnor had said that they weren't being paid to feed them, to bring in strong men, but to bring in slaves. So Mordred had tried to slow the pace down, more for the other men who were struggling to keep up than the trio…but Ragnor could not be swayed from getting his money as quickly as possible.

It wasn't till the next morning that they were able to speak to the boy as the Saxons had briefly fallen asleep and one on guard was Mordred, the rest of the men unconscious as well. Mordred made his way over to them as the three of them huddled on the snow, and crouched down and pulled the piece of bread from his inner coat pocket, "Do you want it?" he offered it to them, though they could see a glint peeking out the edge of it.

Arthur reached out and took it, subtly removing the dagger Mordred had hidden in it and hiding it away on his person as well, "Mordred," he whispered, "Why are you doing this?"

Mordred frowned, "Offering you food?"

"Living among the Saxons."

"Mordred nodded, "You saved my life once, Arthur," he reminded the man, "And you," he looked at Merlin and Morgana, "You two and Marayna gave me a home, a true home, where I wasn't persecuted or exploited but loved," he shrugged, "I wanted to return the favor."

They all looked at him, not quite sure what he meant.

"Just before I left Ealdor," he continued, seeing their confusion, "I was told that Morgana was having difficulty scrying for Morgause, even with her fires. I thought, if I found her, I could sneak my way in and offer you information that way."

"You're spying on Morgause?" Merlin's eyes widened at that.

Mordred nodded, "I've discovered that she was held captive by Sarrum of Amata for two years following William's birth."

"That explains why there were hardly any magical attacks against Camelot then," Morgana mused quietly.

"That and the Bloodguard have been on alert now that she's escaped," Mordred added, "I've been telling them what I can of her whereabouts since then."

"When this is over, Mordred," Arthur turned to the boy, speaking quieter as he could see some of the Saxons starting to wake, "You are returning to Camelot with us."

"But I will be no use to you as a spy if I cannot keep close to Morgause," Mordred frowned.

"And I will be no use to my people without a head if my wife learns of the dangers you're putting yourself in," Arthur gave him a pointed look, "And I believe there is another child you've yet to greet."

Mordred's eyes widened, "William has a brother?"

"A sister," Arthur smiled, "Just over a week ago."

Mordred let out a breath, glancing over their shoulders to see that Ragnor was starting to get up, "I look forward to meeting her," he whispered, pushing himself up and making it seem as though he were merely in the middle of his rounds about the camp.

Merlin glanced at Arthur, "We were able to ask him, before, as we were walking, what Morgause wanted in Ismere."

"The Diamair," Morgana added.

"What's that?" Arthur frowned, never having heard of it before.

"In the Druidic tongue, it means, 'The Key,' the key to all knowledge."

"If Morgause gets her hands on that…" Merlin shook his head, all of them growing silent and solemn, it would be hell for everyone.

"She won't get it," Morgana determined, "My…sister sees herself as more powerful than she is, she has been corrupted by hatred and anger and that will be her downfall," she looked at Merlin, smiling, "I have faith that my husband will see her defeated."

Merlin leaned in and rested his head to hers, "And I have faith that my wife will be by my side, helping me, as we both see Morgause's revenge fall through."

Arthur rolled his eyes, though he had a small smile on his face, when the two leaned in and gently shared a kiss.

~8~

Marayna waved off the guards who had accompanied her to the dungeons, leading her to the cell that Sefa was waiting in. There was a clear view from the girl's window of the courtyard where a noose was hanging. It made the girl more nervous than ever to see it, and Marayna was sorry for it, but, in the eyes of the people, a traitor once decreed as such had to be dealt with, or appear to be about to be dealt with.

Sefa stood as Marayna stepped into the cell, the woman waiting till the guards departed before her eyes flashed gold and she smiled, "They can't hear us now," she told Sefa.

"My lady…" Sefa breathed, staring at her in shock, "You have studied magic?!"

"No," Marayna shook her head moving over and taking the girl's hand, sitting on the edge of her cot with her, "I was born with it. As was my brother and even Morgana," she added, shocking the girl more, "My son…he has magic as well."

"The prince?!"

Marayna smiled, "He started only a few months after he was born," she remarked, similar to how her and Merlin had been, "Nearly gave Arthur a heart attack when he turned around to see small wooden carvings of a knight and horse floating in the hair before his little cot," she laughed.

"The king knows?" that…didn't seem right at all.

"He does," Marayna nodded, "Of course he does. He is my husband, he is Morgana's brother, he is William's father. How could he NOT know?"

"But he has not changed the laws or…"

"Have you any idea how hard it is to change a law that nearly the entire kingdom has lived with and been raised to believe in for nearly 30 years?" she shook her head, "If Arthur acts too rashly or too quickly…people will cry enchantment and then everything falls to hell. We've seen what happens when magic is thrust on the people, this is FAR too delicate a situation for us to rush into or risk failing at."

"Then…he IS changing the laws?" Sefa looked at her.

"Have you not noticed the lack of magical executions in the last few years?" Sefa bowed her head at that, "Sefa," she squeezed her hand, "We are trying to change the thoughts of an entire kingdom. And what you did…it could jeopardize all the work we've been doing for the last three years. In proclaiming your father to practice sorcery, in admitting you told him where Arthur was coming from…" she shook her head, "It implies he's in league with Morgause…and THAT will NOT help convince any of the people that magic can be a force of good if the one person who keeps attacking Camelot with magic is now trying to, and has the knowledge, of how to kill the king."

"He is just following the will of the High Priestess…"

Marayna let out a loud snort at that, "She's STILL going by that title? I'd have thought her being bested in a duel with the High Priestess and the fact that the Bloodguard had left her and pledged allegiance elsewhere would be enough to deter people from falling for that load of bollocks!"

"She is not the High Priestess?" Sefa gasped.

"No."

"Forgive my asking, my Lady, but…how do you know?"

Marayna smiled, "Benedict?" she called, turning to the cell doors as Benedict stepped out before them.

Sefa gasped, not many knew the garb of the Bloodguard, but she did, "Is that…"

"Yes," Marayna nodded, "And he has sworn loyalty to ME," she turned back to the girl, "What does that tell you?"

"That you…" Sefa looked at her, seeming to be about to faint from what she was realizing, "That you are…you're the High Priestess?!" she gasped, shaking her head and fell off the cot, grabbing Marayna's hands and kneeling before her, "I am so sorry my Lady," she started to plead, tears in her voice, "I'm sorry for what I did. It was wrong, I know. It was without thinking. I didn't mean to hurt anyone. I wouldn't. I...all I wanted was to help my father and now I have betrayed my people and, worse yet, you," she looked up at her.

"By the laws of Camelot…treason is a crime punishable by death."

Sefa winced, "I deserve it…"

"I did not say that," Marayna reached out and lifted her chin, "You may have told your father where Arthur was attacking from, but there is one piece of knowledge that you don't know, nor does your father. My brother is an Archmage and a Dragonlord. Morgana a Healer and a Seer. Arthur is WELL protected," she searched Sefa's eyes, "I believe, if you knew the truth, of what was happening, you would NEVER have betrayed Camelot the way you have."

"Never," she swore, "I cannot apologize enough my Lady. I'm sorry. I'm so... I'm so sorry. I did it for my father. It was the only thing he wanted from me. I told him I couldn't, but... I don't know, he... I wanted to make him happy, to please him."

Marayna took a breath, "You understand Sefa, that even if you did not use your magic…even though you HAVE it, that is NOT the crime you are being found guilty of. It is treason, not magic that condemns you and the law is quite clear about what the punishment is."

"Please…" Sefa begged, "I don't want to die."

"I never said you would," Marayna smirked, "Sefa…I know the love between a parent and their child. I have no doubts that your father will come here for you if he believes your life in danger for helping him in this quest."

Sefa let out a breath, "You are using me as bait…"

"Not for what you think," she warned, "I mean your father no harm. If I did…I'd have executed you myself and truly harmed his heart. But I don't wish that. You were misguided and you were blinded, and lied to. You were naïve and foolish and you were to quick to judge. But Arthur himself has made that same mistake more than once and I cannot fault you for it and forgive him. When your father comes, I wish to speak with him."

~8~

Arthur glanced at Merlin as the man trudged beside him through the snow, Morgana looking at both of them and then over her shoulder at Mordred as he glanced back at her, giving her the subtlest of nods. She smirked and turned back to the men, giving them a wink, before she reached over and pushed a barrel and crate off the back of the wagon beside her.

Ragnor stilled his horse and hopped off, striding over to them, stopping the wagon to glare at the fallen boxes, and then to them, "Who did this?" he demanded, "WHO!?"

Arthur lifted his chin at that as Merlin stepped beside him, "We need to rest," Merlin told the man, distracting him so he wouldn't see Mordred slowly make his way towards them.

Ragnor glared, pulling his sword, "Right, you can rest forever!" he shouted, moving to slash at Merlin, only for Morgana to break one of the other boxes over his head, sending him toppling to the ground. The other Saxons ran over to defend their fallen leader…only for Mordred to spin around, blasting them back with his magic, Merlin and Morgana doing the same, leaving Arthur to free the men.

"Go!" he shouted to them, "Run!"

The men didn't need to be told twice as they turned and fled the wagon, racing to get away from the Saxons as quickly as possible. By the time Arthur turned around again, all the Saxon men were on the ground, "Are they…"

"Knocked out," Merlin nodded, he and Mordred gathering them all together in a pile, sitting them up so that they were all sitting back to back in a circle.

Morgana glanced at the wagon, her eyes flashing, and the ropes flew off the cart and around the men, tightening, holding them down.

"Come on," Arthur nodded, grabbing Excalibur back from where Ragnor had dropped it, and taking the lead as they went off.

Mordred paused before Ragnor, pulling the piece of bread out of his pocket and set it down before the man…too far away for him to reach, before he jogged off after the trio, Morgana linking her arm through his as they walked on.

~8~

An older man rushed through the halls of Camelot that night, having scaled the wall and entered through a window at the top of a tower, snuck through the halls, kicking one guard unconscious, knocking another one out, all on a war path towards the dungeons where he knew his daughter was being held. He made quick work of everyone standing in his way, reaching the cells before the warning bells could even go off, grinning as he held his hands out before the bars, "Onlu…"

The spell died on his lips when he saw it wasn't just his daughter in the cell, but the Queen of Camelot herself beside her, his daughter stiff, looking between him and her.

"It's open," Marayna nodded at the doors, "Please, come in, I believe we need to have a little chat…"

She hardly got a chance to finish speaking before the man threw the door to the cell open and rushed in, his hand up, his eyes flashing as he tried to blast her away from his daughter…

Only for her eyes to glow as well and for HIM to go flying back into the bars of the cell door instead, staring at the woman in shock.

"I said SIT," she gave him a hard look, "NOW."

The man looked at his daughter and Sefa nodded, him shakily stepping forward to where a small stool was sitting and lowering himself onto it.

"I feel I should warn you, you get only one go at me," Marayna told him, crossing her arms, "I have been thrown around enough with magic and if you try it again, I will send you flying through the stone walls instead of just against the bars. Are we clear?" the man nodded.

"You have magic…" he breathed.

Marayna sighed and looked at Sefa, "I see the family resemblance," before turning to him once more, "Yes, I have magic, yes my brother does as well, yes so does Morgana, yes my son, the heir to the throne has magic too, yes we ARE working to change the laws and NO your daughter is not about to be executed. I think that about covers it yes?" she glanced at Sefa, trying to recall all they'd talked about.

"Um…Morgause," Sefa offered, startling her father.

"Right yes," she looked at the man, "You've been following the wrong High Priestess."

He blinked, starting to laugh and glare at her at the same time, "You're not telling me YOU're…"

"She is," Sefa cut in, knowing her father would listen to her more than the Queen, "She's the true High Priestess father, we've both been used by Morgause."

Her father fell silent at that.

"Now that that's all cleared up," Marayna continued, "I can promise you the safe passage of you and your daughter to the woods, where the Bloodguard will lead you to the Druid camp. There they shall provide you with travelling attire and supplies before the Catha escort you out of the kingdom and…"

"This has happened before," the man breathed, even more startled tha they actually seemed to have a plan to get magic-users out of Camelot.

"More times than you or any other magic-user realizes," she agreed, "We ARE making a difference, change takes time. Unless you'd like another Purge-like event on your hands?" the man shook his head, knowing she meant the general chaos of the first purge, the sudden new law and decree and belief, the terror and fear it had inspired and how many had suffered for it, "You think we have done nothing to change the realm from what it was under Uther, Sefa told me," she added, "You believe that Arthur is no different from Uther and that it is your sacred duty to fight my husband. I tell you now, you are mistaken, about everything, including who you owe your allegiance to," she gave him a firm look, "I can forgive these crimes and provide you safe passage…on one condition…"

The man looked at her, then Sefa, "Anything."

Marayna smirked, "You tell me everything you know of what Morgause is planning."

The man took a breath, but nodded.

~8~

For three magic-users and one king, arriving at and entering the citadel of Ismere was nothing difficult. It was actually laughably easy, in Arthur's mind and had made him reconsider some of the wards and protections and guard shifts around Camelot. If their kingdom could be breached as easily as they were Ismere…then Camelot was in trouble and he knew that many had gotten inside the castle walls that easily in the past. He'd have to increase security, what with his children's lives being at stake now.

They managed to sneak into the tunnels, taking out a few Saxons that were distracted and taking their clothes to disguise themselves and were easily able to find ALL the missing knights toiling away, digging and moving dirt, all with their shirts off in the heat of the tunnels. Arthur moved closer, signaling to Merlin, Morgana, and Mordred to keep back as he approached one of the larger men and grabbed his arm.

The man, Percival, spun around, seeming nearly ready to attack, only to see who it was that had grabbed him, "Arthur!" he whispered loudly.

Arthur smirked, "Didn't think we'd just leave you here, did you?" Percival looked past him to see the three others behind him and grinned, "Where are the others?"

"They're... scattered around."

"What about Gwaine?" Merlin asked, not able to spot him easily.

"Saw him a couple of days ago, but..." he trailed off, solemn, and they knew that Gwaine had either been captured or harmed.

Arthur nodded and handed Percival one of the swords he'd grabbed off the Saxon, "See if you can use it to find some more. Do what you can to free the others, we'll find Gwaine."

"Morgana?" Merlin turned to her.

She nodded and looked at one of the torches on the wall, focusing, honing her sight in on the flames, seeing an image rippling in it, of Gwaine, lying down, a sort of ethereal, glowing, thin humanoid shape beside him. She squinted, forcing the vision to change, watching as it moved away from Gwaine, through the halls, to them, "I found him," she gasped, "This way!" she turned and led them on, through the halls she'd seen in her vision, to a small cavernous room…

Only for Gwaine to jump out at them, swinging a lump of wood, about to hit them, when Merlin made the wood go flying out of his hand, the man seeing who they were too late to stop himself.

"Trust you not to be doing any work," Arthur joked as he saw Gwaine.

"It's about time!" Gwaine rushed forward and hugged them all, even Mordred, before seeing that their gaze was on the creature that had been tending him. He'd been harmed, badly, and the creature, what looked like a tall, gangly, human made of blue starlight, with a humanish face had protected him and healed, him, "Friends," he gestured to the quartet as he stepped before them, "Good friends."

"What is that?" Arthur breathed.

"I'm not exactly sure. But I owe it my life."

"Thank you," Merlin stepped forward slowly, his hands lifted so as not to frighten it, "For caring for our friend."

The creature tilted its head to the side, "Greetings Lord Emrys," it bowed its head.

Merlin blinked at that, "You know who I am?"

"I know much," the creature looked at him, "I know that much blood has been shed this day and all for something few wise men would ever want."

"The Diamair?" Morgana called, "Morgause hasn't found it yet?"

"And she never will," the creature agreed.

Merlin eyed it a moment, "Because it is you. You are the Key to all knowledge? There are times, I feel the weight of my destiny crushing me, but... that is nothing to what you carry."

The creature sighed and bowed its head, "It is both a blessing and... a curse. Is there anything you wish to ask me?" she looked at them.

"I don't think it would be good," Mordred remarked quietly.

"Your protégé is wise, Emrys," the creature smiled, "Your wisdom will live long in the minds of men."

'Wait,' Merlin called to the creature in its mind, making sure Morgana and Mordred couldn't hear hi, 'There is one question. If Mordred is not Arthur's Bane, then, who is?'

The creature gave him a sad look, 'Himself,' before bowing its head and turning to disappear into the tunnels.

"Come on," Arthur whispered, turning to lead them off, back into the tunnels they'd come from, journey for a few minutes when Mordred stopped.

"This isn't right," he warned, "These tunnels should be overrun with Saxons by now."

"What was that?" Merlin pressed forward, listening.

"What?" Arthur frowned.

Morgana looked at a torch she'd grabbed to see the flames flicker as though a wind has blown at them, "The wind…"

"That wasn't the wind," Gwaine tensed, "Not this deep in the caves…" he looked at them all, "Was that what I think it was?"

They looked over hearing a groaning, screeching cry of pain, to see a white creature with wings and scales rushing at them, "Isn't that…" Arthur began, staring at the white dragon Marayna had told him about as it ran at them, opening its mouth to breathe fire.

Merlin and Mordred quickly leapt forward, their hands raised to shield them all from the flames with magic.

"Aithusa!" Merlin strode forward, his voice deep, speaking the tongue of the Dragons, "_Nun de ge dei s'eikein kai emois epe'essin hepesthai!_" the Dragon backed down, bowing its head in submission. Merlin frowned, looking at it, truly able to see the state it was in now. It was too small for being the age it was, like its growth was stunted, and its back and limbs, they were bent terribly. It reminded him of dogs he used to see that were forced to spend too much time in cages that were too small for them. Worse yet…he could see scars littering the Dragon's body, it had been tortured, "What happened?" he breathed, "Who did this to you? I won't harm you," he held up a hand as it shied back from him, trying to speak but coming out more of a grunting moan, "What does that mean?" it tried again before bowing its head.

Morgana stepped forward, touching his arm, "I don't think Aithusa can speak Merlin."

They looked over hearing the sounds of someone coming, "I'll go find the others," Gwaine offered, hurrying off.

Merlin turned back to the Dragon, "Go!" he urged, but Aithusa shook its head, "_Ithi_!" he commanded in the Dragon tongue and it curried off.

"How good of you to save me the trouble of finding you," Morgause spoke from behind them, sending them flying back the second they turned around, "Arthur Pendragon," she sneered, pleased at how her efforts had left all of them struggling to stand, "Your bravery is matched only by your stupidity. What could you possibly have thought you'd accomplish coming here?"

"I'm here to free my men," Arthur pushed himself to his feet, the three magic-users banding together to stand behind him.

She smirked, her eyes flashing and a sword flew into the air, moving its tip right under his chin, his own sword at his feet, out of reach, "This time it seems there really is no way out," she urged the sword on, making him stumble back, "You are right to cower before my hand. I am more powerful than you can imagine."

"And yet with all that," Morgana moved to stand beside her brother, "You choose to do nothing but hate."

Morgause's eyes narrowed and she opened her mouth to shout a spell.

"Now!" Merlin shouted, rushing forward to pull Morgana and Arthur down as Mordred threw a knife at Morgause, Merlin's eyes flashing to counter the spell she tried to use to stop it, striking her in the stomach and forcing her to her knees.

"Come on," Mordred rushed over to them, helping them up as the all fled the cave.

~8~

Arthur smiled widely as he stepped into the gates of Camelot, heading to the stairs that led to the castle, seeing Marayna standing there, waiting for him, Gwen beside her, with Rosaline in her arms, and William before his mother, her hands on his shoulders. She crouched down and whispered something in his son's ears and, the next thing he knew, his son was running down the steps and racing for him.

He grinned, scooping the boy up in his arms and hugging him tightly, Merlin and Morgana watching with smiles of their own as the others filed in after them, Mordred lingering behind, not sure what to do as he'd never truly been in Camelot like this before…where he, as himself, without glamour, was welcomed.

Arthur hurried up the steps, dropping a kiss onto Rosaline's head before kissing his wife, "I have a surprise for you," he told her.

"What?" she smiled.

"Well, it's more that Merlin found someone he thinks you'll be quite happy to see."

He gestured over to where Merlin was standing with Morgana…a young man between them, a young man she hadn't seen in three years. She gasped, her hands flying to her mouth before she hiked up her skirt in a rather unqueenly manner and ran down the steps and over to him, hugging him tightly the moment she reached him.

Arthur laughed a bit, seeing her cupping Mordred's cheeks.

"My Lord…" Sir Leon stepped up to him.

"Yes Sir Leon?" he looked over

"I…wanted to inquire why you are smiling at the sight of the queen kissing another man?" he gestured at said woman, who was peppering the face of the young man with kisses as the man laughed and tried to brush her off.

"That is not a man, Sir Leon."

"Unless my anatomy lessons with Gaius from years ago are mistaken…"

"No, Leon," he laughed, "I merely meant…that is her brother."

Leon blinked at that, "That's not Merlin."

For indeed Merlin was standing right beside the two, shaking his head with a wide grin. Arthur just clapped Leon on the shoulder, "Hunith took in a young boy, Mordred, many years ago and over that time she has come to adopt him in a manner of speaking. From what Marayna has told me, the boy is truly like a young brother to them."

"I see," Leon nodded.

Arthur looked at William, "Want to meet your uncle?"

William nodded eagerly and Arthur set him down, watching as the boy ran back to his mother as he made his way over to them as well. Marayna put her hand on William's head and her other on Mordred's shoulders and soon the boy was reaching for the young man, Mordred scooping him up into his own arms as well. He glanced back to see Gwen and Lancelot moving to follow him with Rosaline as well.

"Mordred," Arthur stepped up beside him, "For the bravery you showed during this quest…" he smiled, "I would like to bestow the knighthood on you come morning tomorrow."

Mordred blinked and stared at him, only to see that the others were grinning, "Truly?"

Morgana put a hand on his shoulder, "Helping us face Morgause, another magic-user, standing against her…that took remarkable courage."

But Mordred shook his head, "Not really. You are my family," he looked at them, "The love that binds us is more important than the power we wield. I don't believe Morgause ever knew that and that is not the sort of magic I want to deal in."

Merlin had to smile at that, there were legends and prophecies that said Arthur would meet his end at the hands of a Druid. There were visions that said that particular Druid…would be Mordred. But standing there, listening to him say that, seeing him with William in his arms, the soft smile on his face as Rosaline was presented to him as well…it was hard to imagine that could ever be.

He had to hope that the second vision he and Morgana had been shown would be the future that they'd see happen.

Because he didn't think Camelot could survive a betrayal like the first vision.

A/N: I wonder if Mordred will be good or evil...hmm... }:D

Some notes on reviews...

Nope, Mordred's not working for Morgause, he was trying to spy on her for them :) Mergana might have a baby, you never know ;)

I can say this will be the last story of the official series, I can't say if there might be an original/unofficial continuation to it though :) I'll have more about my idea for a sequel in the last chapter :)

I think Marayna will help Sefa because she knows that girl has no idea what's going on behind the scenes and if she had, if she'd known about all the magic she wouldn't have done what she had :)

I can say it'll be entirely Mordred in this story, no Morgause in disguise ;)

I agree, Morgana's end in the show left a lot to be desired :) I can say there'll be a few twists to come for the end of the story and Morgause's death :) I made Morgause the antagonist instead of another OC because I know how many OCs I can handle writing into a story without losing control of it and an OC like that would have, I felt, diminished the quality of the story. I think, in the show, if Morgana had remained good and Morgause knew it, she'd have been more careful and used Cenred as a sacrifice at the start of Series 4, she'd have been filled with revenge against Morgana the same way Morgana was against Arthur, much like in the story :) I can't say what Kara will be just yet, we'll have to wait and see ;)


	3. The Weight of Prophecy

The Weight of Prophecy

Waking up to the hustle and bustle of a castle was not something Mordred was accustomed to. He'd lived his life mostly in peace and quiet. At times, when he'd lived among the Druids, there would be some noise when the camps woke or when they had to leave at the crack of dawn or upon waking. There wasn't much of that in Ealdor as things were very much stationary. He loved rising with the sun, smelling the soft wafts of Hunith's cooking in the next room. Merlin and Morgana had surprised him with a small gift, a little bed to use in Ealdor, like a small cot but it beat the cold hard ground. Hunith had tried to give him her bed when he'd first come to live with her, but he'd refused and kept refusing till Marayna had taken Morgana to visit him and surprise her with news that he'd been living in Ealdor, that was when he'd gotten a cot. He loved Ealdor more than he thought he would.

Having been born and raised a Druid, he thought it would be hard to transition from waking up surround by trees and nature to waking up within walls. But he'd actually adapted quite quickly, though he was sure Hunith had something to do with it, she had gone above and beyond to make him feel at home with her. She'd told him stories about Merlin and Marayna, how they grew up, how they'd hidden their magic. She'd been completely open and honest with him, even telling him about how the other villagers had reacted to them, how they thought them odd and even the names the two most powerful magic-users ever had been called and let pass. He'd been a bit afraid, after hearing that, that the villagers would sense his magic about him, that he'd be ostracized for being born the way he was. But…it seemed that they were even more open and accepting of him.

He'd even been able to use his magic without fear of being killed. Ealdor did lie in a different kingdom than Camelot, but it was so near and the laws about magic were so shady that most who had magic didn't use it for fear of being sent to Camelot for it. He'd asked one of the village elders why he was being treated differently than Merlin or Marayna, something that had shocked the old man to hear him ask as he clearly didn't think Hunith would have told him. He didn't understand why though, Merlin and Marayna were HER children, she would, of course, be a little bitter about how her children had suffered and the man should have expected that he would be told about it even if it was in warning, but he'd still been surprised. But he'd explained it to him.

The villagers, especially those who were Merlin and Marayna's age, their peers, and the parents of those people, were ashamed. They were ashamed of how they'd let their prejudices get to them about magic. It…hadn't been the best kept secret that the two had magic, he'd learned. It had never been proven, never been obvious, but it was like every villager suspected it. They'd treated the two horribly from the time they were children to the time they left the village…yet they still came back when the village was attacked. They still returned to the people who had tormented them and helped them. It had been a wake up call to all their peers and their parents about how badly they'd treated the two. If they really did have magic (as they all suspected), they could have easily stopped those men attacking, but they'd run them out of the village. They could have used their magic when they returned, but they had fostered such a terror in the two that they couldn't bring themselves to use their magic around those they knew for fear of what would happen, for fear they'd go shouting it to Arthur when the then-prince had been with them.

Seeing Will, Merlin's old friend, take the credit for using magic, just to protect the two of them with his dying breath had helped them realize that they had to stop and they had to change. They had started to teach their children acceptance and to not judge unless they personally got to know someone with magic first. It was why he'd been treated differently, because of how badly Merlin and Marayna had suffered. The children were more his friends, more interested to see what he could do but respecting him enough to not force him to do anything or to keep using his magic. He could play with the other boys without fear of them seeing his Druid tattoos and crying sorcery. And all of it came from how Merlin and Marayna had been treated.

…he may or may not have let it slip to the old man that, in his culture, and many others, they believed that Merlin and Marayna were the most powerful magic-users ever to walk the earth…

The man had nearly had a heart attack to realize how they'd treated two people who were that powerful…and how pure their hearts had to be to not seek revenge for it.

A few Druids had even started to trickle into Ealdor as well when they learned he was living there, just one or two and their charges, just to try and offer the home of Emrys and Reesa more protection. He'd met a…very nice Druid girl there as well. Well, he hadn't really met her THERE. He'd met her in the Druid camps when he'd been hurt after Uther ordered him and Hunith seized when Marayna and Merlin's magic was revealed to the king. She'd been kind to him and she'd come to Ealdor and they got to spend more time with each other.

He'd had to leave though, when Hunith told him of how Morgana couldn't see Morgause, when he'd heard whispers that she'd been captured but had escaped only weeks prior to that…he knew what he had to do, to repay the debt and friendship he owed to the two of them and Morgana. He'd left, gone to the Saxons, and worked his way into their numbers to try and offer any information he could on Morgause and what she was up to. But he didn't need to now, well…not that he didn't need to, he really couldn't do it any more, not now that Morgause had seen him hurl a knife at her. And, to be quite honest, that year he'd spent with the Saxons…all he'd wanted was to go back to Ealdor, to Hunith, and Kara, or to make his way to Camelot and see Merlin and Marayna, two people that, through Hunith, he'd come to look at as siblings. Hunith had become so much his mother in the time he'd spent with her he honestly couldn't remember when he started to think of her children as his brother and sister and her his mother. It just happened, and he was glad that it had.

Because they felt the same for him.

He smiled as he laid there on his bed in the Knight's Wing, just a few minutes longer, watching as the room filled with more light. He was going to be knighted today. He'd chosen to stay in the Knight's wing instead of being placed closer to his 'brother and sister' in the wing of the castle reserved for the nobles, because…he technically wasn't their brother by blood even if he was in every other way that mattered. But he'd seen the relationship Arthur shared with his men, how he saw them as brothers in a way and…he wanted the chance to build that sort of relationship with the men as well. Arthur already saw him as a brother-in-law, William had been introduced to him as his nephew, Rosaline his niece, and him as their uncle, but he didn't have that closeness with the knights and that was something he knew would be needed, to earn their trust and prove he was on the side of Camelot.

He looked at the door as a knock hit on it, "Mordred," he could recognize Percival's voice through the door, "Rayna asked me to escort you to get your armor and uniform today for the knighting. We all get breakfast together in the dining halls in a few minutes. We can go after."

"Alright," he called back, sitting up in bed and smiling.

He was going to be a knight.

~8~

As it turned out, it wasn't just Percival who was escorting him to get his uniform and other items for the knighting, but Gwaine and Leon as well, and it wasn't just to some store room where they kept excess shirts and chainmail and capes either, but to Gwen and Lancelot's quarters in the castle, where Elyan was waiting with a new sword he'd made, as he'd made for all the knights of Camelot. It made sense to him, once he realized what was going on, that he should be in Lancelot and Gwen's chambers, Gwen was a seamstress and Elyan a blacksmith. They WOULD be in charge of providing the uniforms and weaponry for the knights.

And so he stood in the room, allowing Gwen to take his measurements, while the men sat around, laughing and joking…about MAGIC. Not just about any old magic, but about Merlin, Marayna, and Morgana's magic.

"So…you all know?" Mordred looked at them, his shirt off as Gwen was going to make him a knight's tunic as well, revealing his Druidic markings for all of the men to see, yet none of them had said a word about it.

"Aye," Gwaine smiled, "I worked it out myself, before Merlin told me," he shrugged, "They're not exactly the most…subtle when it came to using their magic then."

Lancelot grinned, "I was facing down a Griffin," he recalled, "I looked over to see Arthur passed out on the ground, Rayna beside him and holding Merlin's hand as he threw his other out towards me as I rode my horse towards the Griffin. Next thing I knew, my lance was glowing with the most beautiful light, and the Griffin was no more. I heard them uttering their spell as well."

Gwen let out a soft breath, "They admitted it to me, after they healed mine and Elyan's father from a plague Nimueh had cast. Nearly got executed as Uther thought I was the one who healed him but…" she shook her head, "I would have gladly gone to the pyre if it meant they could live and keep using their magic to help people."

"I encountered them in the Druid camps when they fled Camelot," Percival stated, knowing that Elyan and Leon had been made aware of that story despite being affected by the blood magic still, "I saw Arthur speak of their magic and accept his wife back into his arms and thought, if the son of Uther could accept magic…the laws had to be wrong. And since then I have seen them do magnificent feats."

"Leon and I saw them turn an entire army into an enchanted forest," Elyan added, "Never saw anything like it in my life."

"I had never realized, until that moment," Leon murmured, "That magic truly did have the potential to be used for good. To see them stop an army that would destroy us, without killing all of them?" he looked down, deep in thought, "I was born around the same time as the Purge began, all my life, all I'd ever heard growing up was that magic was evil and those with it were black hearted and sinful and disgustingly terrible creatures," he swallowed hard, "I feared it, I can admit, I feared magic and what it could do," he smiled a bit though, "But then you meet someone as clumsy as Merlin and as…brash as Marayna and you get to know them and…there's not one despicable bone in their body," he looked up at them, "How could anyone continue to think magic evil after meeting them and realizing THEY possess it."

Mordred glanced at Leon, sensing more to his words than a mere revelation that not all magic was evil, "And you know of MY magic."

The men nodded, "We are, so far, the only knights aware of the magic you and the others possess," Percival agreed.

"But don't worry kid," Gwaine patted his arm, "Your secret's safe with us. Been years going now that we've kept them safe."

"We try to do that," Elyan added, "As much as we can, if we see them use magic, we cover for them."

"You should be perfectly safe though," Lancelot reassured him, "The people expect us to uphold the laws and as we do as much as we can, they think nothing of us when we say we knocked something over that was magically moved and other odd instances."

"No one would ever suspects a knight of Camelot to have magic," Leon remarked, giving Mordred a meaningful look, "It would be the last place one would think to look for magic and the last place they would expect it."

"Almost like no one expects the personal servants to the prince of Camelot to be the most powerful magic-users ever," Gwen joked, recalling all the times that Merlin and Marayna had nearly been executed for 'having magic' but were saved mostly because they were Arthur's servants and he could vouch for them that they were such terrible servants they'd have been equally as bad sorcerers and that they'd have been discovered ages ago if they had magic.

Back then, it all seemed so funny, realizing how obvious the siblings and even Morgana had been about their magic…it was truly a wonder (and DID concern the knights at times) how Arthur hadn't realized that his servants were 'sorcerers' before they'd blatantly shoved their magic in front of his face.

"There," she patted Mordred's arm, "All done. I should have your shirt and uniform ready for the ceremony tonight. You'll look very handsome I'm sure."

"Thank you Gwen," Mordred smiled at her.

"Come on," Gwaine turned to lead him out, "Ray asked that I bring you to the Main Hall when your finished with your fitting."

And with that, Gwaine handed Mordred back his shirt to put on before he led the boy out of the room.

~8~

If Mordred had been expecting smiles and happiness when he entered the Main Hall to see Morgana, Merlin, and Marayna there…he was mistaken. Oh he could tell they were happy to see him, they hugged him tightly and smiled when they did so, but they asked Gwaine to leave, asked the guards to go…and then cast spells to make sure that no one could hear them speaking within, and then he knew…whatever it was that was bothering them was serious and something that he needed to give his full focus to. The fact that Arthur wasn't there was also alarming as, he could tell, it may have something to do with the king. He'd thought, for a single moment that, perhaps, it was some sort of trouble with the knighting. It was meant to be for that morning but when they'd realized he had nothing but his Saxon clothing, Arthur had pushed it off to that night, a small feast to accompany it as it had with other knights as well. He'd thought that someone on the council or another noble had issue with him becoming a knight despite there being quite a few Knights of the 'Other Houses' among the ranks.

What they told him, he was NOT expecting.

He looked at the floor as he sat on the small steps that led up to the thrones, Marayna and Merlin on either side of him, sitting on the steps with him, Morgana sitting on the floor before him but leaning over onto the steps to place her hand on his knee in comfort.

"The Vate showed you a vision…of me…killing Arthur?" he breathed, feeling numb, feeling like the color was draining from his world.

How could that be?! How?! Arthur…he saved his LIFE! He saved his life before he was king, before he was married to Marayna, before he even knew she had magic. He had saved his life while Uther still drew breath and enforced the laws to the fullest. Arthur had gotten him out of Camelot and had saved him against his father's will, barely knowing anything more about him other than that he was a Druid, which was enough of a death penalty to just step inside Camelot's borders. He owed Arthur his life, why would he kill him? What could possess him to do that? What could drive him to do so?

Not only that, but…he was soon to be a knight. Arthur would be his king. On top of that, Arthur was his 'sister's' husband. He was his sister-in-law's brother. He was his brother-in-law. He was the king ho was going to bring magic back. He was family! Arthur was the father of his niece and nephew, how could he ever even think of killing their father?

It made no sense to him at all.

"It was only ONE vision Mordred," Merlin reminded him, "The second one was of you saving his life."

"But the first had to be more powerful," Mordred murmured, "That was why it was first, it was the more likely yes?" he looked at them, his eyes shimmering with tears at what they had told him.

Marayna, while they had been dealing with Morgause, had revealed that Sefa had betrayed them, that her father had come to reclaim her but that she' d confronted the man. He'd given up all he knew of Morgause and her plans in exchange for his daughter and his safe passage out of Camelot. He'd revealed essentially what they already knew, that Morgause was trying to find out two things. The key to destroying Arthur, what his 'Bane' was, and the identity of Emrys as nightmares plagued her that he was her doom. She'd revealed that Sefa and her father were of the belief in a prophecy, the same as the Dragon had remarked on once or twice, that Arthur would die at the hands of a Druid.

And, if the vision was to be believed…that Druid was HIM.

"We can't know that," Morgana squeezed his knee, "It could be that the first vision was what might have happened, but the second is what will happen."

"It could even be that it was one of Morgause's followers," Marayna added, "That he was trying to breed distrust by showing us a false vision."

"Then why show two?" Mordred shook his head, before standing, pacing slightly, "I…" he couldn't even find the words to speak what was racing through his mind, for he wasn't sure what that even was, he was just overwhelmed.

He looked over at the trio, all of them watching him intently and even though he knew it wasn't to see what his next move would be, to see if he'd go after Arthur now and end him, he couldn't help but feel that they would look at him differently now, that they'd look at him and always wonder which vision would happen. He couldn't bear that. He couldn't bear them looking at him with distrust or hatred or…anything other than how they'd always looked at him, with care and affection and love.

He turned and merely strode out of the room, unable to deal with it at the moment, not knowing what to think not just of the vision but of himself. How could he accept being a knight if there was a vision that said he'd kill the king? He would have even more access to him if he was knighted. He'd have private sparring lessons and hunting trips and missions and quests and so many opportunities! What was worse was that…even if he wasn't a knight, he'd still have just as much access to the king as his sister was the Queen. He'd be able to speak to Arthur privately whenever he wanted and…

He knew, they hadn't told Arthur about the vision. Oh Merlin had said they'd told him about the battle they'd seen, they'd told him everything…except that the person who struck him down was HIM. Arthur would let him in, he'd send guards away if he requested it. He could easily kill the king as Arthur would trust him, not knowing the details of the vision.

He just…he didn't know what to do.

If he stayed in Camelot…there was every chance that the king, that Arthur, would die.

~8~

Mordred stood before the doors to the Hall of Ceremonies, where he would be knighted in only a few minutes, that is…if he didn't turn on his heel and flee right that second.

It was evening now, he'd spent the entire day wandering about Camelot, trying to make sense of the visions he'd been told of. He'd wanted to run, to flee to the forest, to Ealdor, anywhere but Camelot but it was as though every time he tried, one of the knights would pass him and talk to him or he'd feel guilty about leaving without saying goodbye or leaving a note for Morgana and the others. Everyone knew he was being knighted that night, everyone was watching him wander about. If he tried to leave, he knew word would get back to the castle and a search would go out for him. The only thing he could really do was wait there, wait till dark, till everyone was preoccupied with the knighting and the streets were clear, and make his escape then.

It had given him too much time to think about the visions though and the more he did, the more he felt a pressure build in his chest, his stomach start to churn, and his head start to pound. All he could see in his mind's eye was the battle the others had described, the field littered with bodies, Arthur kneeling among them, already beaten and bloodied and weak and him…striding across it, focused on the man, pulling out his sword and driving it into Arthur's gut and he felt like his entire world was going to shatter each time he did. Because his mind went right to everyone what would suffer because of it. He'd imagine the kingdom falling to mourning for their king. He imagined the magic users fleeing in terror because the king had been killed by one and all their hopes of magic returning to Camelot would be dashed if the king that was most understanding of it was slain by a magic user. And he could see Marayna collapsing in tears, holding her children to her as Arthur's sword and cape were returned to her as was customary.

It broke his heart.

He shook his head, no…no he couldn't do this, he couldn't stay there and be the one who brought such sorrow to the kingdom. He couldn't take the life of one of the greatest men he'd ever known.

So he turned, intending to flee, and ready to do so, taking that very first step to run…

When he saw that Morgana was standing right behind him, "Mordred," she greeted, a small knowing smile on her face.

"You've been watching me," he realized, "Scrying."

"All day," she agreed.

"Why?" he frowned, feeling his heart tug, "Afraid I'd go after Arthur?"

Morgana's smile faded, "Afraid you'd run away without a goodbye," she corrected, "Hunith told us that you would often flee to the solace of the woods when you were troubled in Ealdor. We were already planning a cover of a picnic to go after you if you did."

He blinked, "Moth…Hunith told you that?"

"You CAN call her mother, Mordred," Morgana's smile was back, "She already calls you her second son," Mordred looked down at that, knowing that already, "But yes, she did tell us. She hardly talked about anything BUT you when she would visit without you."

Mordred looked up at her, "She did?"

Morgana nodded, "She raised two children," she reminded him, "Children so pure of heart that they were able to change the hearts of those around them," she mused lightly on that, "Her daughter changed the heart of a prince, opened it, made it stronger and compassionate. Her son saved the heart of a princess, saved her from succumbing to fear and darkness. And now, her third child, she believes, is just as pure of heart and just as strong and GOOD as her others."

"But the vision…" he shook his head, not wanting to speak the rest of it.

Morgana was silent for a long while, "Do you know why we decided to tell you about the vision?"

"To warn me away from it?" he shrugged, "To warn me that you'd be watching for me to try and kill…"

"No," Morgana actually laughed at that, stepping closer to put her hand on Mordred's arm, "Mordred…we told you about it so that you would know you have a CHOICE."

"It does not feel that way," he whispered.

"Once, a very long time ago, my fate was similar to yours," she admitted to him, "My path was just as littered with doubt and fear and choice. So much so that Kilgharrah believed I would turn dark, that I would choose the path of evil."

"What?" Mordred scoffed at that, "YOU?" that was a laughable notion, Morgana was HEALER! How could she ever fall to the temptations of the dark with a power like that?

Morgana nodded, far too serious for him to think her jesting, "Kilgharrah saw a power in me, and a fear, one he truly though would lead me to become a great enemy of Camelot despite my having a choice, light or dark."

"You chose Light."

But Morgana shook her head, "I FOUGHT for light," she trailed her hand down his arm to take his hand, "Mordred, I grew up in Camelot, under the watchful eye of Uther. I was terrified every day of my life because, deep down, I believe I knew I had magic, that my dreams were more than just mere dreams. I have seen it in the past, what fear can do. Fear…often leads to anger, anger to hatred, and hatred to evil. I was on the verge of anger, anger against Uther, against his laws, against his prejudice and his crimes to our people. If it hadn't been for Merlin…I do not doubt I would have fallen to darkness."

"He saved you," Mordred breathed.

"Yes, and do you know how?" she asked, he shook his head, "He gave me the knowledge I would need to make my choice. Kilgharrah, even Gaius, didn't want me to know about my magic. But Merlin knew how scared I was, how much I was suffering, and he made a decision. He told me that yes, I did have magic, and explained that no, it did NOT mean I was evil. Because he told me about his own magic as well. He made me feel less alone, he taught me how to use my magic, how to hide it, and most importantly…he told me about the different paths that were open to me. He made me aware of light and dark and he let me choose for myself, where I WANTED to go," she shook her head, "After seeing all he'd done for me, all that I could do with him at my side…how could I possibly choose the dark after that?"

She looked at Mordred softly, "We wanted to give you the same choice Mordred. There are two future open to you, and it is YOUR choice what you want that future to be. Knowledge is power, especially in the Old Religion. By making you aware of the two futures laid out for you, we wanted to help you. We wanted to give you all the knowledge we could so that YOU could choose your own future and not let it be dictated by one single event. I have learned through my visions, knowing the future can allow you to change it. And, with these two visions, being of Vate sight, while you may not be able to change them, you will be able to CHOOSE which future will come. We wanted it to be given to YOU, as is right as it is your future, and not leave it to fate and chance to lead you there. It is your future to make what you will."

Mordred looked down, considering her words, "I do not want to kill Arthur."

"Then you won't," she said simply.

He lifted his head, "But just because I don't want to…that doesn't always mean that the other future is gone."

"I know," she nodded, "Wanting and doing are two very different things. But, perhaps, wanting one enough can help prevent you doing another."

Mordred nodded slowly and looked back at the doors.

"Are you ready to be knighted, Sir Mordred?" Morgana smiled.

Mordred looked back at her, considering all her words, before he nodded. She stepped beside him and linked her arm with his just as the doors opened and he could behold the court and knights gathered within. Morgana started to walk, leading him up the aisle and towards Arthur where he was standing with Marayna, William at her side, her hands on his shoulders, Merlin a few feet away and holding Rosaline while Lancelot and Gwen stood beside him, Gaius and the rest of the knights on the other side.

He took a breath and knelt down before Arthur as he pulled Excalibur out, holding it high above him, and began to tap him on the shoulders. Mordred closed his eyes, feeling a pit in his stomach. Despite all that Morgana had said, he couldn't shake the horrible feeling that, one day, something may happen that would drive him to go after Arthur. He didn't know what it could be, he couldn't imagine anything the man could do to him that would be so horrible as to lead him to that end.

He glanced at Marayna and William out of the corner of his eye, he loved her like a sister and that little boy, him and his sister, they had already found a way into his heart having only known them such a short time. He couldn't bear to think that he'd do anything that would harm them, let alone hurt them in such a way as to kill their father.

"Arise," Arthur decreed, lowering his sword, "Sir Mordred, of Camelot."

Mordred took a deep breath and closed his eyes as he stood, opening them to look into that of his king, and swearing on everything he could think of, on his magic, on his sword, on Hunith's life…that he would NOT betray his king, promising to himself that he would not harm Arthur, refusing the future where he would be the one to end his life.

But even as he made that promise, even as he turned to face the court as they erupted in cheers…he felt the stirrings of doubt.

The future was always changing, as were the hearts of men, and…he prayed that his would not, but no one knew what laid in a man's head and heart that could drive him to kill. He could only hope that whatever happened to him in the future that made him wish to see Arthur dead by his hand would not happen.

But with two futures being present, no one, not even the most powerful of Seers, would be able to tell him what was coming for him and Arthur.

A/N: Poor Mordred :( I really felt like he needed a little Morgana/Mordred time there :) I think that his situation parallels hers very much in this story, and that she especially would be pushing for them to tell Mordred about the vision and give him the knowledge of the futures ahead of him and the power to make the choice himself instead of letting him be influenced by events like how Merlin told her about her magic and about the two paths her future was on :)

But...I won't say which future will happen }:)

On another note...I'm VERY excited for tomorrow! SO much going on and quite a few treats for you guys ;) Because...

April 13th marks the 2 year anniversary of when I posted my first story (in Doctor Who) so, to celebrate, tomorrow I'll be posting a SuperWhoLock one-shot crossover for my 3 OC series featuring, Michelle/Proffy/Leena :) It'll be a few hours after I post this story and DW though ;)

ALSO! Tumblr takeover! Woo! I've decided that, starting this year, I'll be doing a sort of 'tumblr takeover' where, on the day I first posted a new OC, that OC takes over my tumblr. For this year, it's all stories that I posted between 2012-2013, next year I'll be including the new OCs from this year on top of that and so on :) Since the 13th is also the first day I posted the Professor, SHE will be taking over my tumblr for the day. So anyone who wants to talk to or ask questions of dear old Proffy, for 24 hours she'll be taking over my tumblr. I'll be posting a note on it at midnight (for me) and then the next midnight so you know when she'll be on ;) I'm really happy because I'm feeling MUCH better so I should be on tumblr today answering the asks in my inbox and prepping for Proffy tomorrow :)

Some notes on reviews...

Lol, thanks, I fixed the error :)

Oh Merlin will definitely give Mordred a chance. I think that what happened with Mordred in the show is a lot like what happened with Morgana, Merlin sort of pushed them into their destinies. If he'd told Morgana about her magic and supported her openly, she wouldn't have felt so alone, if he'd explained what Morgause did with the Knights and her being the source of the magic, she wouldn't have thought he was poisoning her and hated him. for Mordred, if he hadn't been so set in thinking Mordred would kill Arthur, he might have been more accepting and supportive and helped Kara more and prevented that future. In a way, he almost created future, but in this story, he did help Morgana and Mordred is more of a brother to him than in the show so I think he'll do all he can to support Mordred unlike in the show where he was constantly telling Arthur to let him die :(

Thanks :) I wrote protagonist as I copy the reviews onto the Doc and write it from there, so I was looking at protagonist instead of writing antagonist lol :) But I fixed it :) And those videos were great :)

We'll have to wait and see if Lancelot and Gwen have a little kiddie ;) As for the Dragon tongue, I use the Merlin Wikia page for the spells used in the show so I don't use an actual translator ite. From what I've seen of it, it's Greek :) (literally, not just 'it's all Greek to me' lol) I think it's ancient Greek, but that might just be me seeing Ancient Greek since I know that and not 'modern' Greek :)

I can't say what'll happen for Mordred. I can say though that the 20th chapter will be where we see for sure, what Mordred will do as it is a focal point/episode in the show ;)

I've never been to Comic Con no :( But I want to go SO badly :) I haven't met a celebrity though, no, but one time I was in Italy with my HS Latin Club around the time MI:III was premiering and I THINK John Rhys Meyers was right behind my friend when I took a picture of her. I'll have to check and see if I still have it and double check :) I like plain cheese pizza, but only from Pizza Hut :) I think I might have seen a panda at a zoo once or twice, but not outside of that (though I do have a panda teddy bear ;)) I've officially been to 3 countries (including America...Canada and Italy. I briefly stopped in England on the fly to Italy, but since I didn't leave the airport I don't count that :)) Hmm...I'd say I'd invite Shakespeare, Augustus, Queen Elizabeth, Robert Frost, JRR Tolkien, Virgil, Franklin Roosevelt, Jeremy Irons, Albert Einstein, and John Hurt to dinner if I could :) I've had the same dream more than once yup :) I like to think there was a real King Arthur. I remember one of my professors said that the difference between myth and legend is that legend is based in true history ;) So I think Arthur was real :)

Mostly Marayna learned what Mordred and the others did, that Morgause wanted to know who Arthur's Bane was to try and bring his downfall, that she was still trying to learn who Emrys was, and that Morgause had been held captive for 2 years before escaping and spending the last year on her own, I don't think Morgause would tell anyone much of her plans, I doubt she trusts them :)

Oh there'll definitely be more baby things to come, especially with Arthur ;)


	4. The Death Song of Uther Pendragon

The Death Song of Uther Pendragon

Merlin eyed Arthur as he rode on his horse after the king, the two of them in the woods, "You're still angry with me, aren't you?"

Arthur rolled his eyes, "We spend the entire day hunting, catch nothing, because every time we got anywhere near anything you sneezed and frightened it away."

Merlin smirked, hearing a small laugh from in front of Arthur and looked over at William riding in front of his father. Arthur had wanted to take William out on a proper hunt for weeks now and it was just the right weather and it was just calm enough in the castle for him to slip away with his son. It was one of his very rare memories of time with his own father that Uther had taught him how to hunt. That was something he wanted to pass down to his son as well, that little trick that could save his life or help him stop an enemy one day when he was older. He'd taken Merlin along as he knew Marayna would refused to allow the two of them into the woods, in the open, where they could get hurt, without Merlin or Morgana or herself beside him. Benedict had offered to go but Arthur preferred the man stay in the castle with Marayna and Rosaline. Oh he had absolutely no doubts that, if anyone dared attack their daughter, Marayna would unleash her 'dragon fury' as Merlin had come to jokingly call it, more her maternal instincts to protect her young than anything related to a dragon but she was truly as terrifying as facing one down when her children were threatened. No, Benedict had to stay there because he would probably be the only one able to stop her completely killing the person attacking her children.

He knew he was perfectly safe in the woods, not just from having Merlin there, but also because he knew that there was always a handful of Catha and Bloodguard roaming the woods and helping to keep everything safe. Things had gotten much safer with the Catha helping the Bloodguard patrol the woods. They knew now that Morgause was back to power she'd be trying to send more creatures and others towards the castle to use magic and cause disruptions, with the combined efforts of both clans though, she was failing.

"Well it's hardly my fault that I'm allergic to hunting," Merlin countered, both for his true dislike of hunting and also a desire to keep William from seeing things like that at what he deemed to be too young an age (despite William not being his child).

"Much like you were allergic to chores then?" Arthur quipped back.

"He didn't sneeze last time father," William reminded his father.

"No," Arthur ruffled his son's hair, "He just fell into a stream because your uncle is an idiot William."

"Oi" Merlin laughed, "Don't go lying to your son Arthur."

William turned to look up at his father, "Uncle Merrin's funny!" he defended his uncle, "I like him."

"So does your aunt," Merlin joked, "The sister of the king," he turned to look at Arthur, smirking, "Who would, I'm sure, give you he…quite a bit of trouble," he amended for the sake of William and the glare Arthur was sending him for nearly saying 'hell,' "If she heard you insulting her husband."

It was really quite funny how Arthur was about his children and what was said around them. He'd actually put Gwaine in the stocks for saying 'wench' around his son, which had been so funny to find out for Marayna as she'd laughed for a solid hour straight knowing worse things came out of her mouth when Gwaine was involved. The first time she'd seen him in Camelot she'd called him a 'drunken bastard.' But she was the Queen and Arthur couldn't do that to her, not that she used such language around her children either. But it went beyond just foul words. Arthur was trying to keep all talk of magic being solely evil away from his children as well. He was trying to have them grow up unlike he had, unbiased, understanding that yes, it could be used for evil, but it could also be used for good as well and, if given the chance, would most likely be used for good if others were not afraid of it. He did NOT want his children growing up as Merlin and Marayna had, fearing they were monsters or something unnatural just because they had magic, even Rosaline had displayed a bit of it, a little earlier than her brother had, she'd dropped her blanket on the floor and magiced it back to herself to keep warm it appeared. He didn't want them to grow up like he or Morgana had either, fearing for their lives from their king and father like Morgana, or afraid to speak to him or defy him like he was with his own. He wanted his children to be strong, outspoken, brave, and determined to do what was right.

"You insult _me_ all the time," Arthur commented, "Mara doesn't seem to take issue with it."

"But Aya's the one who made up half the names we call you," Merlin countered with a grin.

Arthur rolled his eyes but smiled, happy that there was such an easy atmosphere among them at the moment. He was trying very hard to show his son that an effort that did not go the way it was hoped to go did NOT mean failure. It meant an opportunity to try again. And, even though they hadn't found much on this hunting trip, it meant he could spend more time with his son in the future to try and have a successful one.

Arthur opened his mouth to speak…when they heard a woman screaming in the distance, "What was that?!" Arthur demanded.

"Help!" William urged his father, wise enough to know when someone was screaming it meant they needed help.

"Your son though Arthur, is a genius," Merlin agreed.

Arthur grinned and kicked his horse on, Merlin racing after him, Arthur with his one arm around William to keep him steady, the young boy, he glimpsed, with the most determined of expressions on his face, wanting to help the person who was shouting. He knew it had to be Marayna's influence though she would argue it was actually HIS. Every night she told their children a story, it seemed she was telling them of their exploits in Camelot, all of them, from her and Merlin to him and Morgana to Gwen and the knights and Gaius, but they never were said by name. Just…a handsome, brave prince and his wise wizard friend. He would always add in his beautiful love, his prophetic sister, and their loyal serving girl. The strong knights and talented physician and more. But Marayna told their children of all the brave deeds they'd done, and William, even not knowing that the handsome and brave prince was his father, wanted to be just like him, brave and just and do the right thing and help people.

Arthur though, stopped his horse suddenly, his eyes wide as his hand flew to William's eyes covering them before he got off his horse and handed the boy to Merlin to keep back and not let him get a good look…at the old woman being tied to a pyre in the middle of the village they'd just entered. He had stopped the burnings of those with magic in Camelot. He'd stopped all executions that focused solely on someone having magic. Most were very careful not to let on they had it, those that openly used it seemed to be trying to kill him or harm him or harm someone else or steal or something and he would pass punishment on THAT crime instead of them just having magic. Luckily, when those people were brought up to him, Marayna or Morgana or Merlin were with him and they could, if it was a person born with magic, communicate to them to deny having magic and ONLY agree to the crime they committed, IF they committed it. If not, he was very skilled in his questioning to make it clear to the person he was asking that he was trying to focus only on the 'theft' instead of 'using magic to steal' aspect and help them get a lesser penalty. Questioning the ones accusing the person of magic was made easier as there was hardly ever any physical evidence of the magic to speak of. It could be a trick of the light that their eyes flashed, it could be them imagining objects moving, it could be that the person literally picked something up as they passed a table instead of the object just disappearing.

He tried to keep executions to a minimum if he could, kept his children AWAY from them when he was forced to see one through, and they had all been reduced to beheadings. Fire was an inhumane way to go, meant to torture the person in question as it happened, hangings were not as efficient and could leave a person dangling and choking to death. No, beheadings were quick and as painless as he could get them to be.

When they happened, which hadn't actually occurred at any point in the last year and he was determined to keep it that way. And there was NO way he was going to let this happen with his SON right there.

"Let the woman go!" he called as he strode up to the gathering crowd.

One man who appeared to be in charge turned and faced him, sticking up his nose in the process, "This woman has been sentenced to death. It does not concern you."

Arthur shook his head, "I am Arthur Pendragon, King of Camelot, and your village is in my lands."

The crowd began to whisper at that, at the KING being in their village, the man seemed to flounder a bit at that, shocked that he was speaking to the king, that he had spoken to the man the way he had, "Her sorcery has brought sickness and suffering to this village."

Arthur's jaw tensed and he could see Merlin stiffen out of the corner of his eye, he knew it had been one of his and Marayna's greatest fears since they were children, being tried for sorcery (or not even as Uther hardly ever even entertained the thought of a trial despite the laws calling for one) and being found guilty, being condemned to the pyre. He could feel his hands clench into fists, knowing that his wife had nearly been, the flames had been lit, she had nearly burned if Merlin hadn't stopped her, "Did she receive a fair trial?"

The man's eyes narrowed at that, seeming to have overcome his shock at seeing the king to sneer, "Your father would have shown her no mercy."

"I am NOT my father," Arthur said harshly, if the man thought that would be the way to get to him, to make him allow this…he was mistaken. He was not his father, he had not tried to be in the last three years, not since it had been knocked into his head that the people didn't want another Uther, they wanted the Arthur they had seen growing into the man he was. He was a better man than his father, a better father and now a better king and a good king would NOT see a pointless murder happen, "Now cut her down."

The man shook his head, "I will not endanger the lives of all who live here," and turned to light the pyre anyway with the torch in his hand.

But Arthur pulled Excalibur and put it at the man's chest, stopping him, "I said...cut her down."

The man's eyes narrowed even more as his lips pursed but he nodded and two men rushed forward to do just that.

Arthur nodded, stepping back, "I shall take her back to Camelot," he told them, "Where she SHALL receive a fair trial," he shot a look back at the man who merely turned and stormed away. Arthur shook his head, he would have to send more people out to make sure that the laws of Camelot were going to be enforced in all areas of the realm, "And sir," he called, making the man stop, "I should have you know that the burning of a criminal on the pyre has been outlawed in Camelot. I shall be sending men to investigate the towns and villages in the kingdom, and if they find that it was YOU who insisted this particular execution be done…you shall find yourself as the criminal in question."

And with that, Arthur turned and moved to the old woman's side, putting an arm around her to help her walk back to the horses, to Merlin and to his son…who was beaming at him with pride that he'd saved a woman's life.

~8~

Arthur and Merlin sat beside the old woman, whom they'd learned was called Valdis, as she lay on a small blanket they'd taken with them, set up beside a fire that night. They hadn't expected to spend the night, but they'd been prepared in case they had to. William was already fast asleep, all tucked up with his blanket and a very small little dragon toy that Gwen had made him when he'd just been a baby. It was a cloth doll but in the shape of Kilgharrah. The Dragon had been quite honored when Merlin had called him down in the daylight with Gwen beside him because the girl wanted to fashion a small toy to look like him for the prince. Kilgharrah had said it was a fitting gift as, upon his birth, he could feel that there was another Dragonlord in the world. It had been enough proof to them that William was a Dragonlord as well, though they hadn't tried to have William call the Dragon down himself just yet. They were trying to give Kilgharrah time to himself without having to constantly come to help them with their problems. They were trying to prove they were capable and competent to do what they had to on their own. They were trying at least.

Arthur watched as Merlin's eyes flashed, trying to heal the woman from the various cuts and bruises and pains she'd been dealt by the townspeople, "Is there anything more you can do for her?" he asked when Merlin sat back but Valdis still looked weak and pained.

Merlin sighed and shook his head, rubbing his face, "She won't make it through the night. I don't even think Morgana would be able to heal her," he looked at Arthur, "She's too near her end Arthur."

Arthur nodded, "Make her as comfortable as possible," he told Merlin before putting an extra blanket on the woman himself, waking her slightly.

"Thank you," she wheezed, her voice hoarse with age and weakness.

"You should try and get some rest," Arthur whispered to her.

But Valdis shook her head, "My time has come. When you have lived as long as I, you no longer fear the journey to the next world. I have a gift for you," she shifted, wincing as she tried to find her pockets, "You showed kindness, and compassion. Those are the qualities of a true king," she pulled out a small object wrapped in cloth and held it up to him, "Open it."

Arthur gently took it and unwrapped it to see an intricate horn, "It's beautiful."

"It's magical," Merlin corrected, able to sense the power of it.

Valdis smiled serenely and nodded, "It has the power to summon the spirits of the dead," she told them softly, before her eyes fluttered closed and her head lulled to the side, the two men exchanging solemn looks before bowing their heads to give her a moment of respect in death.

~8~

"The Horn of Cathbhadh," Gaius nodded as he looked at the horn Arthur had presented him with.

The king and Merlin had returned with William only a short while ago and gathered themselves and a few others in his chambers. It was the usual sort, he'd come to think, Merlin and Morgana, Gwen and Lancelot, Arthur and Marayna, everyone who had ever helped him stopping magical threats except that Lancelot was now a more permanent member. They could excuse him being there, with Gwen, unlike for Gwaine, Leon, Percival and Elyan. But Lancelot acted as a liaison between them and the other knights who knew of magic inside the kingdom. He would tell them as they prepared for training about what was discussed there. Much like Marayna would inform Benedict later and her would pass the message on to his contacts within Camelot, having the news spread outwards and into the forests to the other clans. It was all rather ingenious and subtle and he was very impressed with Lancelot for having thought to do such a thing.

Benedict, of course, had insisted that he be a part of the meetings, but that would mean abandoning his duties as the protector of the prince and princess and, they all knew, he had a rather soft spot for the little ones. He would never do anything to endanger them. William had run back into the castle the moment that Arthur had taken him off the horse and rushed to his mother with a handful of flowers that he'd picked, handing her one, and Gwen one, and Morgana one, before declaring the rest were 'for Lyn' and ran into the castle to find his sister. Their thoughts that he'd come to mispronounce his sister's name confirmed, instead of calling her Rose-ah-lin, he kept calling her Ross-lyn, which shortened to Lyn. But that little boy adored his sister and Merlin and Marayna could already see the formings of as close a bond as they'd had. Oh their own bond had been tested at times, strained, stretched by the other people that found importance in their lives, but they always managed to stay with each other, protect and help each other and were still as close as ever now that they were all together.

"When Uther attacked the Isle of the Blessed," Gaius continued, "The Horn of Cathbhadh was smuggled to Safety before the temple fell. It hasn't been heard of since."

"The old woman said it could be used to open the door to the spirit world," Arthur began cautiously.

Gaius nodded, "I have seen it with my own eyes. Long before the time of the Great Purge I took part in such ceremonies. Each year at Beltane, the High Priestess would gather what magic-users wished to be present at the Great Stones of Nemeton and summon the spirits of their ancestors. It holds powerful magic. You must keep it safe."

Arthur nodded and took it, "I shall put it in the Vaults," he agreed, getting up to leave though Marayna frowned when she saw an odd look on his face and hurried after him.

"Arthur?" she called, "The Vaults are that way," she pointed the opposite direction than he was walking in, before sighing and moving to walk beside him, linking her arm with his, "What is it?"

He looked at her a long moment, "Gaius said that the high Priestess could…"

"No," she cut in, shaking her head, realizing what he was about to say.

"But YOU are the High Priestess," he whispered to her, "Mara if you use this horn you could allow us to talk to anyone, my father. YOUR father…"

"I have no desire to speak to him, Arthur," she look at him, "Balinor died, his spirit is at rest. Why would I disturb it now? I have seen what comes from interfering with those who have passed on. Morgause did it to you with Ygaine, Nimueh with Tristan. I have never heard of that horn in my life, not from any of the clans that surround us, I have no more idea how to use it than you do and I will not risk the consequence that could come from it. Not now," she took a breath, seeing him looking down, "Perhaps in a few years, when I have studied it and learned to use it properly I will use it so you can speak to whomever you want. But Arthur," she squeezed his hand, "Merlin and I have tried to use magic we weren't ready for or practiced in and there were consequences from it, or have you forgotten the Blood Magic?"

"No, no, I know," he nodded, "I'm sorry to have asked this of you," he turned to press a kiss to the top of her hair, "I just…my father was all I had and losing him was so…sudden, I just wished to be able to say goodbye to him properly."

"And you will, one day, but not today," she gave his arm one more squeeze, before she turned and headed off to tell Benedict that the Horn had been found, surely some of the Druids would know of it and be able to start her lessons in using it.

Arthur watched her go, looking down at the horn in his hand solemnly.

~8~

Merlin was not exactly happy when he realized that he and Arthur were headed to Nemeton with the Horn. He'd been tending to one of the horses when Arthur had come in and begun to saddle his. Arthur had said that he was going back to the village they'd found Valdis in, to confront the head of the town about their treatment of her and he'd volunteered to go with him. Arthur hadn't stopped him and so he was quite shocked, though he felt he should have expected it now, when they reached Nemeton instead.

Merlin closed his eyes as Arthur got off his horse and headed towards the large standing stones that formed circle in the middle of a filed, "You're going to use it," he realized.

Arthur nodded, taking the horn out of his bag, "This will be the only chance I have to see my father again. I can't let it pass."

"Arthur…this is powerful magic," he warned.

"My father was taken from me before his time. Now there isn't a day that passes when I don't think of the things I wish I'd said to him," he looked back over his shoulder at Merlin, "If you were given the same chance to see your father, talk to him. Wouldn't you do the same?"

Merlin let out a breath but had to nod. He knew that Marayna would let it pass, she'd never met the man, never spoken to her, she could go the rest of her life never needing to meet Balinor. But HE had met the man and there was still so much he wanted to learn from him, too much to be said in the days he'd had with the man, "Just…be careful," he called.

Arthur nodded and turned back, lifting the horn to his lips and blowing and then, there before him, a shimmering tear appeared in the air, a white glow coming from the other side. He took a breath, steeled himself, and stepped into it to see his father standing there, waiting for him, "Father," he greeted.

Uther nodded, "Arthur."

"I thought I would never see you again. There isn't a day that passes when I don't think of you."

"And I, you."

Arthur smiled at that, "There are times when I feel so alone and, even though I have Mara and Morgana, I wish more than anything that you were by my side."

Uther lifted his head at that, "If I were at your side, I fear you would not like all that I have to say."

Arthur frowned, stiffening, "What do you mean?"

"Many of the decisions you have made since you have become King go against all that I taught you."

Arthur lifted his own chin at that, knowing exactly what he was talking about. He should have known that his father would know. As equally as he liked to think his mother was watching over him, he knew there was a chance his father was too, and if his father was watching…he saw all he'd done in secret as well, "I have done what I have believed to be right."

"You have ignored our tradition, our ancient laws!" Uther spat, "You have allowed common men to become knights…"

"They are some of the finest knights that Camelot's ever known," Arthur cut in, "They would gladly give their lives for the kingdom."

"They question your decisions. They make you look weak."

"So does Morgana," he reminded the man, "As she did for YOU as well. Listening to others is a sign of strength, not weakness. YOU listened to Gaius's council…"

"How do you expect anyone to fear a King who does not know his own mind?" Uther nearly spat at him.

"I don't want my people to respect me because they fear me," Arthur shook his head at the man.

"Then they will not respect you at all. Your marriage should have served to form an alliance with another kingdom, I was wrong to think an alliance with the common people would be better. I never should have allowed you to marry a bastard serving girl."

"You gave me your blessing to marry for love," Arthur's eyes narrowed at that, praying that the fact that Uther hadn't said 'magical' meant that he hadn't seen EVERYTHING from the other side, "I love Mara. More than...more than I ever thought I could love another."

"There are some things that are more important than love. It is your duty to strengthen and protect the kingdom. You have failed."

Arthur swallowed at that, "I have always strived to make you proud…"

"How can I be proud of a son who ignores everything that I taught him?" Uther sneered, "Who is destroying my legacy?!"

"I have brought peace to the kingdom!" Arthur shouted, standing against his father.

"At what price?" Uther scoffed, "The peace cannot last. If you are not strong, the kingdom will fall," he looked at his son a long while, before he shook his head, seeing the tear behind him start to ripple, "You must go now."

"I need more time," Arthur shook his head, "There is much I wish to say…and much more that you need to know."

"If you stay, you will be forever trapped in the world of the dead," Uther warned, "You must go now," but Arthur hesitated, "Go!"

"This can't be the last time I will ever see you," Arthur murmured, he had hardly gotten a chance to defend himself or his actions.

"Think about everything that I have said to you. It isn't too late. Now go," he watched as Arthur turned to walk away through the tear, "I will always love you, Arthur," he called, making Arthur pause and look back at him for a moment before the king stepped through the tear and back to the Standing Stones to see Merlin standing there, worriedly.

"Arthur?" Merlin called, seeing him looking down and made his way over to Arthur's side, "Do you want to talk about it?"

Arthur looked up at him, taking a breath, "It seems my father doesn't approve of the way I have chosen to rule his kingdom."

"You mean YOUR kingdom."

"The things he said about the knights, about marrying Mara," he shook his head, "I cannot believe that he is right, that I have weakened Camelot."

Merlin looked at him a long while, not sure what exactly Uther had said about the knights or his sister, but trusting it wasn't good, "If you don't believe it, then that's all that matters. You have always done what you believed to be right. People respect you. You've two children who adore you. And my sister loves you. I'd say you're doing pretty good."

Arthur looked at him, clapping Merlin on the shoulders, smiling at him for reminding him of that, "Thank you, Merlin."

~8~

Arthur had made Merlin swear that he would speak of what happened in Nemeton to no one, not even Morgana, especially not Marayna…unfortunately events such as summoning the spirits of the dead hardly ever stayed quiet and, when quite a few strange occurrences began to happen around the castle the truth came out all too quickly. The doors blew open during a council meeting of the Round Table…moments before a chandelier came crashing down on the middle of it. Later that day, Percival was attacked by an invisible force carrying an axe. Worse yet, Gwen had been attacked as well. She'd been walking the halls, knocked down and dragged off. She'd escaped to the kitchens where the attack resumed and she was knocked out and the room set ablaze. If Lancelot hadn't been wandering that very hall on his way to meet her and then rushed her to Gaius, Gwen would be dead.

"I don't understand," Lancelot lamented as he sat beside Gwen, holding her hand as she slept on a cot, Morgana beside her, healing her of any damage that the smoke and fire had done while Gaius oversaw her, Arthur, Marayna, and Merlin gathered behind him in the Physician's chambers, "Who would do something like this to Gwen."

Merlin hesitated before sighing, "It was Uther."

Gaius looked at him as though he might actually have a mental affliction, "Uther has been dead nearly 4 years Merlin."

"Yes, I know," Merlin winced, before blurting out, "Arthur and I went to the Stones of Nemeton."

"Merlin!" Arthur hissed at the same time Marayna turned her eyebrow on Arthur with an, "Oh did you?"

"I warned you of the dangers of doing that," Gaius looked at them both, disappointed.

"To be fair, I didn't know we were going there till we were there," Merlin held up his hands.

"Well that explains it," Marayna remarked.

"What?" Arthur looked at her.

"Merlin, Morgana, and I, even Mordred, we all sensed something, someone, when the chandelier crashed. Percival said he felt a presence as well."

"In the days of the Old Religion, the priestesses trained for years before entering into the spirit world," Gaius looked at Arthur, "It was fraught with dangers. There was one thing they were schooled never to do. As the veil closed, they were never to look back at the spirit."

Arthur stiffened at that and they ALL knew that, whatever happened, he'd done just that, "And what happened if they did?"

"They'd release the spirit into this world."

"The Round Table represents everything that's changed since you became King," Merlin looked at him, "You told me how Uther disapproved. He's angry with you and that makes him dangerous. Look at it, he went after the table, then one of your 'commoner knights' and then one of their wives…"

At the mention of Gwen they all looked back over at her, "Will she be alright?" Arthur asked, guilt seeping into him, he didn't doubt Merlin or the others had sensed something and, while he didn't want it to be his father…he knew it likely was. He'd spent years building his trust and faith not just in magic but in those who used it for good. If they said it was Uther…it was Uther.

"She inhaled a lot of smoke," Morgana warned, her hands above Gwen's chest, her eyes flashing, "But Gaius gave her a sleeping draught and I think I'm nearly done healing he. She'll be fine."

"She was lucky to escape with her life," Gaius looked at them all, not wanting them to overlook the severity of this.

"Thank you Morgana," Lancelot reached out to touch her shoulder, not wanting to disrupt her healing.

"I've always known my father could be cruel," Arthur sighed, "But this I will not stand for. Mara," he looked at her, "My father expressed regret over allowing me to marry you, he may come after you as well, I don't know if he realizes you have magic or not but I want you and Morgana to go to Benedict and stay with him and the children. If he does know…" he shook his head, "He may assume the children have magic as well and target them."

Marayna nodded at that, "What about you, what are you going to do?"

Arthur turned to Gaius, "What do you know about how to banish my father's ghost?"

"The one who summoned him must use the Horn of Cathbhadh to reopen the veil between the worlds," Gaius said, "The spirit shall be forced back in through the tear and sealed away."

Arthur took a breath and looked at Merlin, "Will you help me?" he asked, knowing Lancelot would NOT leave his wife's side till she woke.

Merlin nodded and stood.

~8~

Merlin and Arthur walked to the Main Hall together, Gaius having given them a potion that would allow them to see Uther's spirit. Given how the man seemed to think his kingdom needed saving they assumed at some point he'd come to 'reclaim' his throne. Now they just had t wait for him in the room.

"I never thought the day would come when I would be hunting my own father," Arthur sighed as he looked out the window and out at Camelot, "When I became King, more than anything, I wanted to make him proud."

"You've always done what you believed to be right even if you knew your father would disapprove of it," Merlin reminded him, "If you hadn't, Aya and I would be dead from that poisoned chalice and a few other times. Do you not see how different you are to him? Camelot is a better place since you became King."

"My father clearly doesn't think so."

"To hell with what your father thinks Arthur," Merlin stepped up to him, "The people believe in you, Arthur. I do, Morgana does, Aya, the Knights, everyone believes in you but it counts for nothing if you don't believe in yourself."

Arthur had just turned to thank him once again…when Merlin was sent flying backwards across the room and into the wall, "Merlin!" he ran over to him, checking to see if he was ok, he was fine, just knocked out. He took a breath and stood, "Father?" he called out, "I know it's you, Father," he looked to the side, feeling a draft, and saw him, the ghostly image of Uther sitting on the throne, "Why are you doing this?"

"I did not spend my entire life building this kingdom to see my own son destroy it."

"You tried to kill Guinevere, you attacked one of my knights. Would you have attacked Mara as well? You've attacked Merlin and he's been one of my wisest advisors since you made him my servant."

"A servant for an advisor?" Uther spat, "You put too much trust in other people. You, and you alone must rule Camelot. Your whole life, I tried to prepare you for the day you would become King. Did you learn nothing?"

"I watched you rule, and I learnt that if you trust no one, you will always live in fear. Your hatred came from fear, not strength."

"How dare you!" Uther leapt to his feet.

But Arthur held strong, "I loved, and respected you. I wanted to make you proud but things have changed," he took a breath, "I have a son of my own now," he stated, his chin held high, "And I have realized it was not I who should have struggled to make you proud of me, but YOU who should have endeavored to be a father I was proud of. THAT is who I shall be, a father and a king my children would be proud to follow in the footsteps of. I have to rule the Kingdom in my own way. I have to do what I believe to be right."

"I will not allow you destroy all that I built!" Uther shouted.

"Then you will have to kill me," Arthur held out his hands, "I am not you, Father. I can't rule the way you did."

"Camelot must come before all else. Even you!" he lunged at Arthur, seeming about to use his ghost-abilities to harm him…when he was sent flying back through the thrones himself.

"Get away from him, Uther!" Merlin glared, moving to Arthur's side.

"Ah, Merlin, how good of you to wake up from your nap," Arthur joked, Uther staring at his son in horror at how he didn't react to the blatant magic being used…he KNEW of it.

"What!?" Uther demanded, making them look at him, realizing that the Blood Magic had held on the former king even through death.

Merlin held out a hand, seeing Uther about to react, "You've caused enough harm."

"You don't belong in this world any longer, father," Arthur nodded, "You must return to the other world."

"This is MY kingdom!" Uther shouted, "And you have allowed those with magic into it!?"

"YOU allowed it in Father," Arthur corrected, "It was YOU who made Merlin my servant.

"Even while you were King, there was magic at the heart of Camelot," Merlin nodded.

"I will not allow you and your kind to poison my Kingdom!" Uther sneered.

"It's not YOUR kingdom anymore," Arthur shook his head, "I'm sorry father, but I will not allow YOU to poison MY kingdom. Merlin!"

"_Bael onbryne!_" Merlin shouted, holding out his hand, stunning Uther for only a moment, "Now!"

Arthur quickly pulled out the Horn and blew it, the tear forming behind Uther, the ghost crying out as he was sucked back into the spirit world, leaving the two of them alone.

Arthur sighed, "I always looked up to my father. I admired and respected him more than anyone. I have to accept that I can't please him, and be true to myself. And that doesn't matter, whatever my father might think…I have others who look to me instead. Mara was right, the sun has set on his reign, it has dawned on mine and I will make sure that this kingdom shines in the sun, where everyone is respected, regardless of rank or the gifts they were born with, and not cast into the darkness of fear and hate that my father led it to."

Merlin smiled and put a hand on Arthur's shoulder, "You've already done that, Arthur, you're nearly there to seeing that kingdom realized. Now," he turned the king around to face the doors, "I believe you have a wife to reassure that the danger to her children has passed and quite a bit of apologizing to do for going behind her back in the first place."

Arthur let out a pained groan as they walked towards the doors, "She's going to kill me isn't she?"

Merlin just laughed.

A/N: Poor Arthur :( I'm torn between being glad he stood up to Uther and sad that Uther said all that he did to him :( It was a bit light on the women, I just really wanted a chapter where it was some good old fashioned Arthur-Merlin bonding :)

Two quick notes, today I'll be posting a SuperWhoLock in a few hours, to give some time between this and DW, and that. Today is also the tumblr takeover day for my OC, the Professor, so any asks in my tumblr not directed at her will be answered tomorrow :)

Some notes on reviews…

I don't hate Gwen actually, I find her adorable :) I just prefer her with Lancelot and, as I've listed that as her pairing in the beginning A/N and on my FF profile, it should be fairly obvious going in that she won't have the main role she did as queen. But if you could explain how I'm being hateful or spiteful to give her her husband back from the dead, elevate her status to a Minor Lady of the Court, and give her a hopeful future with the potential for children, I'd appreciate it :) It's actually happened a lot, I've noticed, that people have claimed one thing about the story and where I'm taking it (how I ruined it with Marayna unable to have children, how it's unoriginal to keep using 'memory loss', etc) and I've proven them wrong each time (Marayna has 2 children, it was an entirely separate Alternate Universe, etc) so keep that in mind before thinking I've destroyed Gwen. Reviews like that make it hard to defend my writing because _I_ know what's coming in the story and you don't, so it would probably be best to wait to the end of an entire series in that case ;) All I can say is what I've been saying each time I've proven a reviewer wrong, have a little more faith in me as an author, because there will be a significant amount of chapters in this story that will focus largely on Gwen ;)

Oh we'll be seeing father-daughter/father-son bonding time yup :) I can say that William looks like Marayna, but with Arthur's eyes and build, and so far Rosaline looks Arthur but with Marayna's eyes :) And yes, both children will have magic, just like both Merlin and Marayna had magic :) Oh boy, watch out Camelot :)

We'll definitely see some Pendragon family time :)

I think they do introduce each other, but it's more when they're young but then they get older and have other duties and don't see each other much :( Oh William will be quite the little knight in training but Rosaline is a little too young to play just yet :) I'm not sure I'd do the kitten chapter, mostly because Morgana can already turn into a cat :)

There might have been a bit of Yoda in there yup ;)

Lol, I noticed that too, all the 'Mor's :) I was debating making Marayna Morayna because of it, but I liked Ma better :) I have no idea why there's so many lol :)

I don't think Mordred will take the Oath. For Morgana it was more to show them that no matter what she did that appeared to be betraying Camelot, she was really on their side. I think, if they try to bring it up to Mordred, he might see it as them distrusting him that they want a Blood Oath to prove his heart :(


	5. Now You See Me

Now You See Me

Merlin smiled as he sat at the small desk in his and Morgana's chambers. They'd been moved out of their own 'rooms' (even though he'd been sharing Morgana's to sleep in for years now) and into one that was all their own. He had felt bad at first, that Morgana would be expected to just leave the room that had been her sanctuary for so many years just because they'd gotten married, but she'd actually been rather eager and excited to get out of it. According to her, it was the room that Uther had assigned her, the room he would lock her in, the room she'd had so many terrible experiences like when that beetle had been in her ear and she'd nearly died. She really was quite excited to leave the room that had been hers and get to share a room with him and make it THEIRS. And theirs it was. It was a simple room, something he was sure quite a few noblewoman wouldn't expect from someone as elegant and lovely and regal as Morgana (but then again, he was biased to think that of her). They probably expected extravagance now that she was a princess.

But, if anything, Morgana was even more humble and down to earth than she was before. He'd noticed a small change in her as the years went, she became more quiet and less forceful with her words. She didn't shout to the heavens and rail against the king and his decisions, she was more…subtle in her efforts to change things now. He wasn't sure what it was exactly that had brought about the change. It could be that Arthur was king and not Uther and she didn't feel like he was making the mistakes Uther was so she didn't have cause to openly oppose him like she had Uther. Or it could be that she knew Arthur was her brother and that the relationship between her and him was different than it was for her and Uther, even after she'd realized he was her father. It could even be that her new role as princess put more expectations on her to be more…diplomatic in how she handled things.

That was one large difference between Morgana and Marayna, he knew, Morgana had been bred into a life of a noblewoman, she'd been raised from near birth to know what was expected and to feel even some sense of needing to meet that expectation. She knew decorum like it was the back of her hand and how to handle herself. Marayna didn't, Marayna had been born and raised a peasant where manners weren't quite focused on and where she could shout insults back at another farmer and have no consequence from it. Even being Queen she hadn't changed much, she tempered her tongue for the sake of peace, but she wasn't quite as vulgar or insulting…in public.

That could be another reason why Morgana had calmed down, because Marayna had a way of getting to Arthur with words and actions and even silence that Morgana couldn't. There was no need for her to be outspoken or shout at him anymore, Marayna was more than enough of that to the king and it took the burden off of Morgana to be the only one standing up for magic-users. He liked to think that, deep down, shed' known she had magic and that was why she'd always felt so strongly against the execution and persecution of those with it. With HIM there, with her not being alone any longer, she didn't have to be scared or angry. He knew she was both and that was often a source of her outrage, but things were better. Still, it didn't mean she was completely silenced. She had a very strong voice in the council now and that was another thing. She was HEARD now. Before, shouting and ranting at Uther would get her thrown into the dungeons but possibly make it through to Arthur. Now, she didn't have to shout or rant or rage because when she talked, people LISTENED to her.

Well, HE always listened to her. She had a lovely voice so that was to be expected though. And he'd often found himself watching how she spoke, her expressions, her hand gestures, especially her lips. He'd had dreams of kissing those lips for _ages_ after he'd been poisoned and she'd kissed him.

He looked at her now and felt a smile come to his own lips. It was a bit late and she was sleeping on the bed, over the blankets, having fallen asleep there when she'd gone to take a nap. He hadn't had the heart to wake her. It was a remnant of when he'd used to hold her to help her sleep when she had her nightmare-visions he knew. Even though they had all but disappeared now, with only the odd one or two slipping past every year or so, he still loved to let her sleep. He loved looking at her when she slept, watching the soft smile on her face, hearing her soft breaths, feeling her in his arms and knowing she felt safe and content…it was wonderful. He found himself actually quite glad when he would wake in the mornings at dawn, another remnant of his past when he was merely Arthur's servant, how he'd wake up earlier than her and get the chance for a few more minutes of just holding her, watching her curled up to him, sleeping and happy. Those were the moments he lived for, those tender moments where he could observe her at her most natural. He cherished those moments more than anything…well, there was one other moment that he did cherish with all his heart, their wedding day (and night) but then again, there were also the moments where they were erm…trying for an 'heir' of their own. And also the times where she'd do her hair, just such a simple motion or when she'd turn and smile at him, the sunlight behind her at the window. Or…

He let out a soft laugh, ok, so he cherished every moment he got to spend with her.

"Merlin?" Morgana called as she slowly woke up to see him sitting at the desk, a single candle lit to help him with what he was writing. She knew that he preferred reading or writing to the light of the small blue orb he'd created to help save Arthur's life nearly a decade ago, but with the laws and with how suddenly things could change and a guard could come running in…he couldn't risk it, "What are you doing?"

"Nothing," he said quickly and Morgana gave him an amused look, as though he could eve lie to her. He sighed, "I was just…thinking of trying to make a spell of my own," he shrugged.

"Merlin that's incredible," Morgana rose from the bed and made her way over to him, coming to rest her hands on his shoulders and look over them at the notes scratched out on paper. They both knew that spells had to come from somewhere, the ones that they'd studied in Gaius's magic books had to have been crafted by someone at one point in time and Gaius had implied that there were quite a few magic-users out there right now that were 'spell crafters' or the ones that created new spells to be used and taught.

It was a daunting task though, to get the right phrasing, the right intonation, the right declensions and tenses and gestures and power. It could take a crafter years to perfect a spell and Merlin was trying one. Ooh she was so excited for it, she didn't doubt that he'd be able to do it. He was Emrys after all, he was the most powerful wizard to walk the earth, he'd been studying magic near a decade now, been using it his entire life and she could see him succeeding. And, even if he didn't, she would support him and his efforts anyway..

"What sort of spell?" she asked, squinting at the paper. It appeared to be some sort of revealing spell, like a detection spell.

"It's um…to allow invisible things to be seen," he shrugged.

"What brought that on?"

"Uther," he said, "How his ghost was in the castle and attacking people," he shook his head, "We had to rely on Gaius for a potion to be able to see him and I just kept thinking, if Gaius wasn't there, if he was in the village or doing rounds or visiting another area or…" he cut himself off, not wanting to think of the other, far more permanent, version of 'not being there.

Morgana nodded, understanding. Gaius was a remarkable man, but he was getting on in years. She had been studying under him for years now, but, instead of it appearing like she was learning more about being a healer, she was staring to get the feeling, the last year or so, that he was more training her as his replacement, as a true physician and not just as a healer. She knew what it was though. Gaius had been through so much the last few years. With the Catha torture and Morgause's treatment of him just before William was born…it had taken its toll on the older man. He was starting to feel his age and she knew he was likely worried that his time in this world was probably limited and he was trying to prepare them all in his own way.

They relied on Gaius for quite a few potions that helped in their little magical missions, but it seemed Merlin was trying to come up with spell alternatives to help them. It would be rather useful, she could admit, if anything ever happened to Gaius and they needed an aging potion or a potion to see ghosts, they'd be in a rather terrible bind. A spell alternative would be a good backup to have.

"And this is to see ghosts," she nodded.

He agreed, "I've just got to get the wording right," he pointed to a few of the words, "I want it to say 'Make the invisible appear.' That way we can see it. I thought perhaps 'Let me see the invisible' would work but that would only allow the caster to see it and if others had to then they wouldn't be able to help."

"I think that's very wise," she smiled, leaning in to drape her arms around him from behind, her hands dangling by his chest, pressing a kiss to the back of his head, "I think that translates exactly to that," she remarked, nodding at the last translation he had.

"Really?" he smiled, Gaius had been teaching them how to write in the Old Tongue as well.

"Want to give it a try?" she asked.

"I'm not sure," he shook his head, "I should probably have Gaius look at it first to be safe."

"What's the worst that could happen though?" she rested her chin on his head, "It doesn't work or we see th wind?"

Merlin had to nod at that, there really wasn't much that he could think of that could go wrong with a generic statement like the one he'd translated, "Alright then," he nodded, "Ok so…" he took a deep breath, concentrating, before he uttered, "_Ábarian mec alan ungesíenelic_…"

He could feel his eyes flash and Morgana gasp.

"Did it work?" he looked around the room, not really seeing anything that was suddenly there that wasn't before, "Suppose not then."

"I um, wouldn't be so sure," Morgana murmured, "Merlin…" she looked at him, and pointed across the room.

Merlin turned to follow the direction of the point and blinked, feeling his eyes widen at the sight of her mirror…he could see Morgana…

But it appeared HE was now invisible instead.

~8~

"It appears," Gaius began as he was reading through the paper that Merlin had presented him with his notes, "That in trying to say 'make the invisible appear,' you actually said 'make me appear invisible.'"

It had been…quite the unexpected thing to be working on a potion just after he'd woken and see Morgana enter his chambers alone. Mostly, when that happened, it was because she was there for a lesson on either healing magic or herbs, but they had no such lesson scheduled for the day. He'd thought, perhaps she was ill and needed a remedy or that her nightmares had returned, but she had merely told him that she had a problem that she needed his help with…and then levitated a paper to him. Or so he'd thought.

He'd been about to lecture her on using her magic like that when he realized tow things, that her eyes hadn't flashed nor had she incanted anything. He'd looked t the paper and gone to take it, only to hear Merlin's voice say 'Please don't tell Aya' just as he grabbed it. He'd nearly had a heart attack he was sure. And then he'd had a nice little shout at Merlin about how he'd nearly done that and also on how he could be foolish enough to get himself turned invisible. He'd asked how it had happened and Morgana had just said to look at the paper. It was notes about a spell that it appeared Merlin had started working on since they'd encountered Uther's ghost.

"It's no wonder this happened," Gaius sighed, "You've not been working on this long at all Merlin, spells take time, months at the shortest amount to just make up. I don't know how many times I've warned you about the dangers of trying a spell without having worked out everything, had others review it, test it on something OTHER than yourself before."

"Sorry Gaius," Merlin's voice came from the work bench.

"And thank you Morgana," Gaius sighed.

"For what?" she shook her head.

"For helping me gauge where Merlin is sitting."

Morgana blinked, confused for a moment before she blushed, realizing she was sitting on Merlin's lap, his arms around her so she looked as though she were floating in air a few inches above the work bench.

"Right," she nodded, "I was helping you spot Merlin."

Gaius gave her a raised eyebrow for a moment before shaking his head, realizing she was just sitting on his lap for comfort.

"Is there anything you can do Gaius?" Merlin asked, "Any way to reverse this?"

"I will have to consult my books," Gaius remarked, "Until then, Merlin, please try to stay out of trouble."

They could all hear his grin in his next words, "Me? Trouble? Gaius who do you take me for? Arthur?"

~8~

Morgana had never laughed so hard in her life as when she saw some of the things that Merlin had in mind to do with his newfound invisibility. He'd discovered when he'd been trying to sneak up on Marayna while she was tending to Rosaline in the nursery, that the woman could see him, much like she'd been able to see quite a few other people that were hidden or disguised. It had made Merlin both disappointed that she could see him and that he wouldn't be able to play a trick on his sister, but also very relieved. Uther's ghost had seemed to be trying to work his way up from how he was attacking everyone else, first starting with Arthur's new council, then to the knights, then the knight's wives, and there was no doubt he would have gone after Merlin or Marayna next, likely Marayna.

It was a good thing to know that if the man had gone after her, she would have seen him coming and likely dealt with him long enough to get help from others. Still, he'd been hoping to pretend to be a little rat scurrying across her foot and watch her scream and run away. For how brave she was in dealing with a lot of the threats that faced Camelot, his sister was still deathly afraid of mice. It amused him to no end and Arthur had finally seemed to work up enough courage to be able to threaten Marayna with mice, with allowing William a nice little pet mouse if she did one thing or another, nothing too serious, more a teasing sort of threat. Like she would often threaten to tell people how 'fat' he was getting and other little teases.

It probably would have been very mean if he had done it, and he knew his sister's mind. She would have gotten revenge, swift and sweet revenge on him, somehow. She probably would have tried to 'reverse' the spell herself and end up leaving him bright pink or something like that or glowing in the dark. Whatever it was, in the end he'd more played it off that he'd gone there to try and tell her about the spell and that others couldn't see him so that she wouldn't call out to him or start talking to thin air around others.

That had been the end of his 'serious' streak though, Morgana had learned. He'd taken great joy in shadowing Arthur, making him hear things, making things rattle around him. She knew it was likely very mean of him to do, make him think Uther might be back in some way, but he really did deserve it for what he'd done. Going behind their backs and summoning Uther's spirit? Nearly getting Percival's arm cut off, nearly seeing Gwen burned to death, knowing that the children were in danger? Ooh Arthur had had to spend a week sleeping in Uther's old chambers as he couldn't be made to sleep in the nursery and the room in the physician's chambers had been turned into an herb storeroom or sorts. He'd finally managed to apologize enough to her where she let him back into their room. Marayna had been FUMING that he'd done something so foolish as to go there, not knowing what he should or shouldn't do when he confronted his father, released a vengeful spirit, and put her children in danger.

She could only say that Arthur's fear of the Dragon was rekindled from dealing with his wife. They really weren't joking, she may not be a Dragonlord, but she was truly as terrifying as a Dragon was when angry.

After that though, it had been one laugh after another for Morgana. Merlin had taken to interrupting the training for the knights, pantsing them as they fought or worked out. Arthur had, of course, been the first one targeted. Elyan's sword got stuck in the ground from where he'd stabbed it to grab something else. Percival had found his legs frozen in place. Leon had gotten tangled in his cloak, it was all rather funny and she'd laughed quiet hard at seeing all the grown men starting to get spooked and frustrated as they knew Merlin 'wasn't' there and that he couldn't be doing magic and as Morgana wasn't the sort to do that and was laughing too hard at them to concentrate it couldn't be her.

It wasn't until Merlin magically made Gwaine's trousers rip and the man had just grinned and taken them off to continue in his underpants that Merlin finally stopped. Gwaine had, of course, been the object of man a passing noblewoman's eye because of that. All the knights were shirtless, but Gwaine as Arthur had ordered him to pick shirt or trousers. She was sure Merlin would have started up again if not for Marayna coming down to the training grounds with William, the little boy was always so eager to see his father in a duel or training his men. He was even more excited because he could sometimes, depending on the lesson and the day, join them. He couldn't do as much of the work out as they could, but the men were all very encouraging and, when William wanted to duel himself and challenged Percival to one, much to all of their amusement, Percival had accepted and had gotten a very big thank you out of Arthur when he put on quite the show of William beating him in the duel. The little boy had been so proud of himself for beating the biggest knight, he'd actually been quite clever though in how he'd eventually done it, how he'd won the little duel with wooden swords, he'd run through Percival's legs, being smaller than the man, and done a move he'd seen his father try, kicking the back of a person's leg to take them out.

Of course, Percival was so big and William so small it hardly felt like a light tap to the man, but he'd made a show of falling down, and slowly rolling on his back, giving William time to rush over and point his little wooden sword at the man's chest. He'd done a rather lovely impression of Arthur in demanding, 'Do you yield!?' though his voice was so small it sounded more adorable than threatening. Percival had nodded and William grinned before he put one foot on Percival's chest and waved his hands around like he'd just conquered the world. Arthur had scooped the boy up to the cheers of the knights but William wiggled out of his arms and dashed back to Percival who was starting to enjoy lying there a moment, before he took the knight's big hand and tried his best to tug him up like he'd heard his father say was the noble thing to do once you'd bested an opponent, help them up.

After seeing that Merlin had taken Morgana's hand and led her off, the two of them heading back to the physician's chambers as it was growing dark out now and he wanted to if any progress was made. He also hated that it looked like he wasn't walking with Morgana when he was. He liked when people could see them together, he liked being seen with her. He was so proud of her and he loved her so much and…though he'd never say it to Morgana, when she walked with him in the open it made him feel like she was proud to be seen with him as well.

He'd just finished musing that he'd wished he'd discovered this little effect or thought to try something like this when Agravaine had still been there as he could imagine how terrified the man would be if he'd thought that someone was spying on him or that it was Morgause coming to get him, when they reached the physician's chambers.

"Hello Gaius," Morgana called as they entered, seeing him scouring a small pile of books set up before him.

"Have you found anything?" Merlin asked. He would have been more than willing to stay there and help the man look, but he knew Gaius had other duties to see to with potions and mixtures and if he didn't know where his nephew was then he'd bump into him constantly and it would just disrupt his work, so they'd had to leave it to the man to see to himself. He wasn't going to bother the Druids or the other clans with requests for help till he knew what Gaius had found, if anything.

Gaius sighed, "I'm afraid I haven't," he admitted, "Had this been an invisibility spell, there are a few ways to reverse it, but as it was not the intention of the spell and was an incomplete one…there's nothing in any of my books about what should be done to bring your visibility back."

"So I'm stuck like this?" Merlin frowned, though none of them could see it.

"There is ONE thing that might reverse this," Gaius shook his head.

"What?" Morgana asked.

"Kilgharrah," Gaius remarked, "When Uther cast the memory spell on us, Morgana, you said that you were able to remember because Kilgharrah reversed it on you. Perhaps there is a chance he might be able to do the same for you Merlin."

Merlin sighed, but squeezed Morgana's hand, "It's worth a shot," he muttered, turning to lead her out of the room.

~8~

It was lucky for Merlin and Morgana that it was dark by the time they'd left Gaius's chambers as they were able to sneak out of Camelot easily enough. They really would have to speak to Arthur about how easy it was to get in and out of Camelot. They had originally thought to use a transport spell or turn themselves into their animal forms, but with the darkness, they knew that the chances of landing in the wrong place or getting lost would be greater. So they remained human and made it safely out of the kingdom. Such came with being a servant and knowing all the entrances and paths and being a noblewoman of the castle and knowing all the times the guards changed and where they were stationed. They'd made it to the woods and to the clearing that they usually called Kilgharrah to when they needed to speak to him. The last time they had had been just after they'd gotten back from finding the lost knights. They tried, over the last three years, to give him time, but they'd thought Aithusa had been with him. To find that the poor thing had been with Morgause, that it had been tortured and crippled and stunted…they'd had to ask the Dragon what happened.

He'd actually wept for Aithusa, blamed himself for what had happened as the baby Dragon was growing older, he had allowed it to fly on its own as it needed to do…and apparently it had found Morgause in the woods, nearly dying from a wound. It had thought she was just an innocent woman who had been hurt and helped her, healed her. When Kilgharrah found out he'd raged about it and little Aithusa had run off, both in fear and anger at how the bigger Dragon was going to let what Aithusa felt was an innocent die. Kilgharrah thought Aithusa had run off to seek out Morgause and prove she wasn't the person he thought she was…but when Morgause had been captured, Aithusa had as well. He hadn't been able to find the beast afterwards, had searched everywhere and was so guilt ridden for what he'd done and what had become of the dragon, to know it hadn't even learned to speak yet? Whatever had happened to the two in the two years they'd been together had given Aithusa a sense of loyalty to Morgause though, Merlin had told him how he'd told the dragon to flee…and it had just run deeper into the caves of Ismere to find Morgause. There would be no getting through to the Dragon but Merlin swore that he would still keep Aithusa safe and use his Dragonlord magic to force it away if it attacked.

Still, they were back now to seek out Kilgharrah. The beast was staying closer to Camelot now, hiding with the Druids and other magical clans, as though he could sense the change and slow return of magic to Camelot. A few magic-users trickled into Camelot every few weeks, warned not to use their magic but to get to know the people. It was a suggestion Gwen had made, that if the people got to know others as PEOPLE instead of as sorcerers, they would feel what she felt when she'd learned about Merlin and Marayna's magic, that they couldn't be evil because they were GOOD people. There were quite a number of magic-users IN Camelot right at that moment actually, Arthur knew of every one and had even personally gone to see them, with Morgana, or Merlin, or Marayna, to reassure them that the laws would be changing very soon, that the people might be ready for the change now with all that they'd done to try and stop the executions. He'd asked them to please not use their magic where they could be seen, but had NOT told them not to use their magic at all, which had made even the most doubtful and suspicious of users calmer.

"Princess Morgana," the Dragon greeted as he landed before them in the clearing, "To what do I owe this pleasure?"

"You seriously can't see me either?!" Merlin shouted, HE had summoned the Dragon, he should have known that a Dragonlord was there…

Kilgharrah chuckled, "I can see you well enough young Warlock," he reassured Merlin, "It appears a spell has gotten away from you, hasn't it?"

Merlin grumbled under his breath at that before Morgana elbowed him in the ribs, "Yes," he said, "I was wondering if you might know of a way to reverse it."

"Yes I do," the Dragon nodded, "And it is quite a simple solution," he began, before breathing his magic on Merlin, slowly fading him into existence, visible to all.

Merlin looked down at his hands and legs, and then to Morgana, "Can you see me?" he asked her, he had been able to see himself before so he couldn't trust his eyes.

Morgana just smiled and stepped forward, giving him a quick kiss for it, "Does that answer your question?" she laughed.

"Not really," he shook his head, "I think I may need different answers…"

Morgana nodded at Kilgharrah, "Someone deserves a thank you first."

"Yes, thanks," Merlin told Kilgharrah with a smile.

"Be more careful next time Merlin," Kilgharrah warned, "I may not always be here to reverse your spells for you," he warned, before flying off into the night.

Morgana frowned, seeing Merlin's expression start to fall and reached out to turn his head to her, "What is it?"

Merlin shook his head, "I just…feel like everyone who's been there to teach me is going to leave soon," he admitted, Gaius was getting on, Kilgharrah…the stars only knew how old he was, words like that…it frightened him. He had already lost his father, his best friend, other friends he'd made, he didn't want to lose anyone else.

"Perhaps they will leave because there is no more they can teach you," she suggested.  
"Maybe," he shrugged, taking her hand off his face and turning to go, but Morgana tugged him back.

"I mean it Merlin," she told him, "You are…the wisest, kindest, bravest, most…selfless, humble, handsome," she added, making him smile, "Man I have ever known. Your spirit and stubbornness, the strength you have in here," she placed her hand on his heart, "The way you treat everyone as an equal? It was refreshing to see you look at me as though I were just Morgana instead of caring about my station. All of that Merlin, makes you the most remarkable man I have ever known. And yes, people will leave you and others will find you, it's the balance of the world," she reminded him of their magic, "For every good there is evil, for every light dark, and for every loss there's a gain."

Merlin smiled softly at her, leaning in to kiss her, "There is…one gain I wouldn't mind so much if…if a loss _had_ to precede it."

"And what's that?"

He tugged her closer, his hand coming to rest on her stomach, "I know you were trying to wait till Aya's child was older, I know you were scared of what threats he might face and wanted to make sure he'd be ok and survive and be protected before you even considered us having one…"

Morgana looked down, unaware he'd known where her thoughts had gone. Growing up in Camelot…Arthur was constantly under attack as the son of Uther, as the heir, and while her child wouldn't be the direct heir, it did have a claim to the throne, SHE was Uther's daughter and…her sister hated her. She was terrified that Morgause would try to do something and that her child would suffer. She'd wanted to wait until Morgause was dealt with, till her threat was gone, before she gave her husband a child, but…could she really keep waiting? She loved William and Rosaline so much, every time she saw them she wished for a child of her own and knew it was only HER that was keeping her from having one.

Merlin lifted her chin so she would look at him, "I have no doubts that we can keep our own child safe," he told her, "I have not ever let anything happen to you, Gana, have I?" she shook her head, the only thing that came to mind was when she'd faced Morgause and been harmed, but that was HER going off on her own, "I will protect our child to my last breath," he swore, "Heaven help Morgause if she so much as thought as laying a finger on them."

"Them?" she smiled.

"Well," he started to blush now, "Aya's got one of each and…"

Morgana leaned in and cut him off with a kiss, "If we're to have a second…we need a first," she smiled.

Merlin positively beamed at that, kissing her deeply, the two of them disappearing in a swirl of wind and dust as Merlin brought them back to their rooms.

A/N: I thought this might be a fitting little turn of events given there was a ghost. It seemed like the sort of thing for Merlin to do, try to see something invisible so they don't need to rely on a potion and then end up becoming invisible himself. It may just come in handy later though ;)

Sorry this was late :( I had a post on my tumblr about it. My town had to cut off the power to my street to remove a tree that was leaning too close to the powerlines. They said it should have only been about 3-4 hours, but the power's STILL not back, so I'm at McDonalds again :( My brother drove past it and said that it looks like the tree actually fell on the lines and took them down now so I have no idea when the power will be back on :( I'm hopeful for tomorrow though :)

_Ábarian mec alan ungesíenelic - Make me appear invisible_

Some notes on reviews...

We'll definitely see more Merlin and Morgana bonding yup ;)

Lol, that's actually on my list of potential one-shot crossovers :) Every year for April 13th I do a one-shot where I crossover at least 2 of my OC series :) I'm debating between a BBT/Star Trek crossover or a DW/Merlin one for next year ;) But I don't think Ayla's soul mate would be a human :) Yup, I have a SuperWhoLock where Proffy meets Michelle and the boys as well as Sherlock and Leena up right now ;)

William is 3. He was born at the end of Series 4 and it's been 3 years since then (mentioned in the first chapter). And Rosaline was just born at the start of Series 5 so she's, at the very most, a few weeks to about a month old at this point :)

I felt bad for Genie too :( But in the Aladdin animated TV series they did give him a girlfriend genie, Eden, so he got a happy ending and love after all ;)


	6. Another's Sorrow

Another's Sorrow

To say that the castle was in shock when Sir Leon returned with Princess Mithian, unconscious, in his arms, would be an understatement as there had been no word that anything had happened in Nemeth though the princess's sudden appearance and the state she was in would say otherwise. She'd been found by Leon and rushed to the castle with her elderly maidservant, Gaius being called to tend to her in the rooms that had been assigned to her during her last visit.

Leon had shown…surprising care for the woman, insisting he stay with Gaius and help her, citing he felt it was his obligation to do so as he had been the one to find her. He couldn't just abandon her till he knew she was well or, at the very least, out of danger. He'd helped Gaius tend to her, fetching blankets and stroking the fire, but…the moment Gaius had declared her stable he'd made his way to the king's chambers as he felt, not only did the king and Queen need to know that the princess was there, but…that there was something odd about her servant.

He had been watching Mithian, as had quite a few others, during her last visit. Everyone had noticed her…disinterest in Marayna, her stiffness when it came to the queen and he'd actually found himself being among the ones watching Mithian more intently than he knew was likely proper. He had come to…respect Marayna, and admire her strength, hers and Merlin's and Morgana's, to live the lives they did, to use their magic so openly and knowing the risk they set themselves should they be caught. He did care for the queen even in the sense that she was Arthur's wife and he and Arthur had grown up together, almost like family, trained together, hunted together, faced death together. Arthur would always be his friend first before his king and he was watching out for his friend's wife. It was…almost startling how much conviction Marayna, Merlin and Morgana had in the ideal that magic could be used for good. It wasn't something many people believed, it certainly hadn't been something HE had believed as he'd been raised as Arthur had, under the strict law that all magic was evil magic. But seeing those three and how firmly they held to that belief of theirs…it had changed something in him.

Still, he'd watched Mithian and he had seen a sort of resolution happen between her and the Queen and he knew that the woman was now a trusted ally of Camelot. She had returned and forfeited the lands of Gedref in apology for how she'd acted towards a woman of 'higher station' even if Marayna was a peasant first. He knew that, in being a trusted ally, if anything happened to her while in their care, war could break out and he wanted to help prevent that as much as possible and…he knew Mithian had seen Marayna and Merlin use magic and had not said a word about it…that proved her character to him, and it proved that she accepted magic and the ideal they were trying to spread.

And that was just it…because he'd watched her so closely, he knew the maids and servants she'd brought with her, and this…Hilda woman, this old woman that claimed to be her personal servant and seemed so loyal to her…she hadn't been there. The 'loyalty' the woman had shown that night in refusing to even leave Mithian's room to allow Gaius to tend to her and herself to get some rest…a woman like that, even if she were on her deathbed would have forced herself to follow Mithian to Camelot the last time. Yet she had not. It was all he could conclude that something was not right, that things were not as they appeared, especially with Hilda. And he wanted to warn his king about that. He didn't know much about magic, naturally, but…he knew enough from being around Merlin and Marayna and Morgana that he almost felt like he knew when it was happening around him now.

He got that impression from Hilda. So he'd made his report to Arthur about Mithian's condition and added in his suspicions about Hilda to Marayna as, if it was magic, she, Merlin, and Morgana would be the best to handle it. He'd simply said that Mithian was weak and exhausted, but she'd live and speak to the council as soon as she was able, Gaius's orders that she not be disturbed till then. But he knew and realized exactly what Arthur had, what everyone who had seen him bringing Mithian in had, for the woman to ride all night just to get to Camelot…something terrible had to have happened.

They just…had to wait till morning to find out.

~8~

Morning came quickly enough, if Arthur had to speak of it. Mithian had made quite the recovery despite only having Gaius's remedies to help her. He knew one reason Leon had tried to get the woman, Hilda, out of the room that night, if the woman wasn't there, then Morgana could go in and help heal her faster. But Hilda had refused to leave, was too attentive to sneak up on, and so they'd had to hope Gaius would be enough, though they had every confidence that he would be and so it was.

Mithian stood before the council that very morning, Hilda not too far away, speaking to Arthur and the knights, to his wife and Merlin, Morgana, and Gwen, pleading her case and telling them all she knew about what had happened to her and her kingdom. There had been an attack and it seemed her kingdom had fallen, which made Arthur all the more sympathetic as Camelot herself had faced a number of such attacks and had been seized more than once. Not so in the last three years, but just before William had been born (he loved to call the boy his good luck charm for that). But he had help and knights to help him reclaim his kingdom and his throne. Nemeth didn't seem to be faring so well, which was why Mithian had come to them, Arthur had ample experience in taking back what was his.

"They came at night without warning," Mithian swallowed hard, recalling that, "We were unprepared. We could not hold them."

"This was three days ago you say?" Arthur frowned, thinking on that. He had seen Marayna glancing at Morgana and Merlin when Mithian had entered with Hilda, he'd seen how Marayna had looked at the servant longer than needed before she placed her hands in her lap. THAT was significant, it was part of a small code he and Marayna had come up with as he could not read her mind like Merlin and Morgana could. Small gestures that she could make to alert him to things he needed to know.

Her hands in her lap instead of on the table like she preferred meant that someone was not who they said they were, that someone there was disguised and hiding themselves. If she kept looking at Hilda, he could guess it was the woman. If she started to tug her hair over one shoulder, sometimes absently plaiting it, it meant that a magical artifact was in the room, something magical, some object like a staff or a weapon or something that could be used to attack. And if she turned to one of the servants and asked for a goblet of water it meant that someone was trying to place an enchantment on the room. Luckily the last two hadn't happened often, or at least not as often as first one had.

Still, now he knew that Hilda was someone to watch out for.

Mithian nodded, "His men, they showed no mercy. Cut us down like corn."

"Odin has no care for the suffering he causes."

Marayna reached out and took Arthur's hand, understanding the bitter tone she'd heard in his words. Odin had been the man responsible for the circus troupe attacking Arthur and Uther years ago. It had been his men that had laced the apple Arthur had eaten with a potion, had gone to attack him, and ended up stabbing the king. Apparently there had been some altercation between Arthur and Odin's son and Arthur had dueled him to the death, clearly Arthur had won, but Odin had never forgiven him. When Uther had died, it had truly been Arthur that was the target, forcing Uther to suffer what Odin had, the loss of his son, but Uther had gotten in the way and died instead.

Odin was the reason Uther was dead.

"And your father?" Morgana asked, knowing that Mithian had a FAR better relationship with her father than she herself had with Uther.

"He was badly wounded, but we managed to escape."

"Where is he now?" Marayna looked at her.

"We made it almost as far as the border, but he could not continue any further. Odin's men will be searching for us. It's only a matter of time before they find him."

Arthur nodded slowly, "I see," they must have hidden the king.

"My father is an old man," Mithian continued, "He cannot fend for himself. I have no one else to turn to, but Camelot," she looked at the king and queen, though her gaze drifted to Morgana and Merlin, even Gwen and Lancelot as well, "You're my only hope."

"Mithian," Arthur stood, "I understand how you must be feeling and I will do everything in my power to help you."

Mithian let out a breath at that and looked near tears, "Thank you, my Lord."

But even as she spoke, Gwen frowned, she was accustomed to tears. She herself had experienced all of them. The loss of a father, the fear of losing a father, the loss of a mother, the fear for her own life, losing her husband, even tears of when she knew the lives of others she cared for were in danger…

The tears Mithian was crying, they weren't joyful tears of hope, they weren't even tears of relief or of thanks…they were tears of regret, whatever was going on…Mithian truly was torn between wanting HELP, help to save her father and help to save herself.

~8~

Arthur's chambers were nearly full of people a short while later. He, Merlin, Benedict, Gwaine, Leon, Elyan, Percival, and Lancelot were gathered around his desk, looking at maps, while Merlin and Gaius spoke quietly with Morgana as a fire roared in the fireplace. Marayna and Gwen were sitting on the floor with William and Rosaline, entertaining them. Arthur liked to have the children there as he drew up 'battle plans' and other things. He liked that he could see his children as he made them. It reminded him of what he had at stake if he was too reckless in his choices of what to do. He had found that he was starting to make plans for paths and strategies that he KNEW would work instead of ones he was merely hoping would.

"Rodor is taking refuge here by the ancient tomb of King Loath," Arthur pointed out on the map, recalling what Mithian had told them, "That's three leagues from our border."

"Mithian can lead us there?" Leon asked.

"Gaius?" Arthur turned to the man.

Gaius nodded, "She is recovering well. I've provided her a draught for the night to help her sleep. She should be well enough to travel come morning if she takes it."

Arthur turned back to the plans, "Now our only chance of getting Rodor back is with speed and stealth."

"Then we can only take a small band of knights," Lancelot reasoned.

"To be over the border and back again in a matter of hours," Elyan agreed.

"Exactly," Arthur smiled.

"Arthur," Morgana called as she stood, "Odin…he's been trying to attack you for years now. If he catches word that you're doing this, we'll have an army knocking on our doors."

"But Odin doesn't know where Rodor is and we do."

"I doubt that," Marayna sighed, "Arthur…Hilda is Morgause."

"What!?" Arthur's eyes widened. He hadn't gotten chance to ask her about why she'd kept looking at Hilda before, they'd all gone straight to his chambers to plan now that they knew time was of the essence to save the king.

"It's true," Merlin nodded, "Gana scried for her in the fires just now."

Morgana had to agree, "She's focusing so much energy on maintaining her aging spell that her wards to prevent scrying are wavering."

She'd felt, upon seeing the old Hilda, that the woman was familiar to her, not just in the same sense of when she'd first met Morgause, but in that she'd seen her before. And now she knew she had, she'd glimpsed the old woman in the market, just before Arthur had gone on his quest for that trident ages ago. It had only been for a moment, so quick she really couldn't be sure if Hilda and Morgause were one in the same, but they were. She'd seen it in the fire, Morgause turn back to herself before recasting the aging spell.

"I noticed Mithian as well," Gwen called, "The look in her eyes whenever Hilda is too near her, "It was almost as if she was frightened of something, and not just her father's life."

"So this is a trap then," Percival remarked.

"Seems like it," Gwaine nodded.

Benedict turned to Arthur, "I shall inform the Bloodguard and the other clans of this, we can shadow you through the woods and step in if you need us."

"Thank you," Arthur nodded at the man as he gave a stiff bow, still not used to bowing to ARTHUR instead of Marayna, but he was coming to respect this particular Pendragon after years working beside him. Arthur watched as Benedict left the room to do just as he'd promised before he closed his eyes and ran a hand down his face, taking a long breath at the change in events.

He opened his eyes and looked at William, the boy was far too focused on entertaining his sister to really be paying attention to the meeting going on before him. He had to smile at that, seeing the boy making faces as the girl, making her smile and laugh, it warmed his heart to see. He could remember doing the same to Morgana when she would have a nightmare when they were small, make faces till she laughed at least once. They had always been so like brother and sister he couldn't believe he hadn't realized it earlier. And this...this was not that sort of situation, this would not be them walking into a trap and thinking they should have realized it earlier.

"But now," he started to smirk, "We have the advantage, they don't know that we know that," he turned to his knights, the lot of them getting back to work on a new plan of attack, going in with the knowledge that it was a trap changed things quite a good deal.

It seemed Morgause was still her overconfident self to not think that they'd realize it was a trap. She seemed to have forgotten two very important things, the first being his wife could apparently see through disguises like that and the second…his sister was quite the powerful Seer. It only took one meaningful look at her and she was kneeling before the fire, scrying through it to see what Odin was planning.

He was starting to love magic.

~8~

"William's to bed," Marayna remarked as she entered her chambers to see Arthur sitting at the desk, looking at the map plans once more, wanting to be sure that it would be a safe trip, though he wasn't sure if it was more for Marayna than him. As Queen she was expected to remain in the castle while he was away and, while he knew she hated expectations…he knew that she'd rather be in the castle, protecting Camelot and their children than to leave them unguarded even with Benedict there. HE hated going off and leaving the three of them himself, but it had to be done. They'd both made sacrifices for the sake of their children and their people.

"He's quite rambunctious," Arthur smiled, it always too at least 2 stories and teaching the boy 1 spell to get him settled enough to go to bed and stay there.

"Much like his father," Marayna smiled, making her way to Arthur's side and sitting on the arm of his chair, draping her arm around the back of his shoulders, "And, much like his father, I can always tell when he's hiding something. So…care to admit the REAL reason you agreed to help Mithian?"

"Because Nemeth is our ally."

"An ally who could turn enemy if Camelot fails to help their king…that or an ally being coerced into trying to murder Camelot's king."

"They ARE being coerced though, and for that reason alone, we MUST help Nemeth. If it were my father who had been taken, I wouldn't stop to find him, much like when Gaius was taken by the Catha."

Marayna smiled, "So you're admitting this isn't entirely about Nemeth being our allies then?"

Arthur blinked and realized what he'd let slip before sighing, "Odin was responsible for my father's death, in the end, everything that led to it was instigated by his attack on ME," he agreed, "I will not lie to you Mara and say I have not been hoping for a chance to retaliate."

"I understand that Arthur," she nodded, "But you must also realize…the actions of one person, especially those of a king can have far reaching consequences. Look at Odin and what he did. One action, and Camelot lost a king, gained a king, and everything we have, where we are right now, would not have happened."

Arthur looked at her, "Are you telling me not to go after Odin?"

"I'm telling you to think before you act this time," she remarked, "You've admitted that you're terrible at reacting first and thinking later so, as you're all heading out to rescue Rodor, think about what you would do if you WERE confronted with Odin, ok?" she reached out and placed her free hand on his heart, "And listen to this. I've found you make the best choices when all you hear is what your heart is telling you."

Arthur wrapped his arm around her waist, "Do you know what that is?" he asked, and she shook her head, "Because…" he tugged her closer, making her fall off the arm and onto his lap, winding his arms around her, "Because YOU are my heart," he told her softly, "You are my heart, your brother is my wisdom, and my sister is my eyes, when I trust in the three of you…when I trust in myself and the king I've become because of you…there is no doubt that the decision will be the right one."

Marayna smiled at that, "I love you," she told him.

"Not more than I love you," he leaned in to kiss her, but she put a finger to his lips.

"Debatable," she warned, before pulling her finger away and allowing him to kiss her again.

~8~

Gwen was walking down the halls of Camelot, heading to her rooms from where she'd been speaking to Leon and Elyan about the weapons that the knights would need for the next day. With her new status as a minor lady of the court, there wasn't much by way of chores she was expected to do. Much like with Merlin, she'd become more of a companion to the Princess and Queen, she tended to Morgana sometimes, helped her with her hair and dresses (though it seemed Merlin had taken to doing that quite a bit), but she still sewed the gowns for her, made dresses for other ladies of the court, and, with her spare time, she'd requested that she be put in charge of the armory. Keeping stop of weapons, tending to them, organizing them, she'd done it all when her father had the forge and, with Elyan taking over that and being a knight, she'd wanted something to do for herself. She was the one that assigned the swords and weapons for the armies and knights so it was up to her to ensure they had all the weapons they needed when they left.

Merlin and Morgana would be accompanying them tomorrow, Lancelot as well, which she understood. With the delicacy of this mission, they needed as many knights as possible, and the more that knew of the magic the two would use the better. Marayna had to remain there as queen and mother, and she had volunteered to stay with her. Merlin and Morgana would be going as the magical defense, Morgana under the guise of acting physician while Gaius remained in Camelot. Not knowing who might attack or try to attack the castle in the interim, it made sense that a physician be present in both places, and Morgana was the one more likely to deal with the magical maladies than Gaius at the moment so she would go with the small troop too.

She'd just turned the corner when she saw Mithian on the ground, clutching her wrist as Hilda reached for her, the princess seeming in pain, "Is everything alright?" she rushed over to help the women, but by the time she got there, Mithian was already getting to her feet slowly, Hilda helping her.

"The princess was feeling a little faint that's all," Hilda remarked, "We were just getting some air."

Gwen watched Mithian's face carefully at that, seeing the same signs of fear and pain and guilt as before, "Well…" she began, not sure what, if anything, she could say that would help get a clue to Mithian that she knew who Hilda was without alerting Hilda/Morgause to it as well, "I hope you're feeling better now," was all she could say.

"Much better," Mithian nodded, shaking, "Thank you."

"We won't detain you any further, my lady," Hilda/Morgause bowed her head, "Good night."

Gwen nodded sadly, watching them go, "Good night."

She waited only till the two had disappeared around the corner before picking up her skirts and rushing to find Morgana and Merlin.

~8~

The day would find Arthur, the knights, Merlin and Morgana riding through the woods with Mithian and Hilda/Morgause ahead of them, slowing to a stop as they decided to take a small break. It was preplanned of course. A small stop, a rest to refresh the horses and gather water, it was normal enough. But they needed to find a space where they could ambush Morgause, knock her out, and, potentially, use her as a bargaining chip with Odin, Morgause for Rodor. They were loathe to do it, to just…let Morgause go again when they had the chance to put her on trial for her crimes and see her ended once and for all. They'd been tempted to just storm Mithian's room and seize Morgause, but Rodor was, according to Morgana's vision, being held captive by Odin. If Morgause was discovered, word would get to Odin and Rodor could be harmed or killed. They were willing to hand her over to Odin for the same reason, to get Rodor's safe return. They knew it would just be extending Morgause's time, eventually they WOULD get her and stop her. But right now they had an opportunity to get another king back on his throne.

They knew that something was going on with Mithian the moment they stopped though. She as tense and when Lancelot, ever the noble knight, went to offer to help her off her horse, he'd noticed a burn mark on her wrist, the same wrist Gwen had said the woman had been clutching and screaming about the night before. He'd asked about it but Mithian had gotten tenser and rattled off some lie about having been captured by Odin first before escaping, which he knew was complete rubbish. He'd gone to Merlin and Morgana, told them and Arthur about it and they knew they had to act soon, clearly Morgause had been torturing Mithian. The woman's ruse as an old woman wasn't holding up very well, the power to maintain the aging spell had gotten to her by that night. When they'd travelled more and stopped in some old ruins, she'd nearly collapsed. Morgana hadn't bothered to examine her as the woman had protested against it, but she knew what it was. The aging spell took quite a lot out of the caster to use and Morgause's energy was fading fast. She doubted the woman would be able to make it to the next afternoon.

But they all knew she wouldn't have to. Come morning, they were going to put their plan in action, they were too close to Nemeth to not be noticed by Odin's men soon. Morgana had scried ahead and seen the amount of men they'd have to face, quite a large number just beyond the border they were in riding distance of. They were prepared of course and confident. The knights he'd taken had all but one seen Merlin, Marayna, and Morgana stop an entire army and turn them into trees and, while Marayna was in Camelot, Merlin and Morgana were still quite the force to be reckoned with.

They waited that morning, watching as Mithian managed to step away from Morgause, just as a vision Morgana had had described. She knew what the princess was doing, claiming she was going to wash her face in a stream and leave a message, 'Morgause' written on a rock. She'd looked ahead at the events, seen the possible outcomes given the changes in the battle strategies and she'd seen Mithian try to leave them a note of warning. THAT was the signal they were waiting for, because Morgause would attack the second that someone saw that note…and they could retaliate. They knew that Morgause thought that they didn't know who she was, that they thought her a little old woman, she wouldn't be expecting them to fight back and so she wouldn't be ready with a counter attack.

"Princess?" Merlin looked over as Mithian approached him with an empty water flask, Morgana catching Arthur's eye from where she was tending her horse, able to hear the conversation and nodding subtly at him.

It was starting.

"Good morning Merlin," Mithian smiled tensely.

"Can I help you with something?"

"I hope so," she held out the flask, "I need this refilling please, and you seem to be the only one with all your belongings all packed up already. Do you mind?"

Merlin nodded, "Not at all," and took the flask.

"Thank you," Mithian stepped away, Arthur and Morgana watching as Merlin moved through the trees to the stream Mithian had washed by to get the water.

Just as in the vision, he stopped, spotting 'Morgause' written on a rock, and, unlike the vision, turned around just as Hilda/Morgause appeared, her hand outstretched, trying to throw him into a tree with magic, but he made a shield, protecting himself just as Morgana ran up and threw her own arm out, her eyes flashing, sending Morgause flying back into a tree, knocking her out.

Mithian ran through the trees, the knights after her, and nearly sank to her knees in relief to see Morgause crumpled on the ground, "Oh thank god," she gasped, turning to Arthur and grabbing his hand, "I'm so sorry Arthur, but she's not who she appears to be, she's…"

"Morgause," Arthur cut in, "We were made aware," he reassured her, "And we do not blame you Mithian."

Mithian blinked, "You know?"

"Aya, er…my sister," Merlin called, Gwaine rushing over with Percival to tie Morgause up, Leon administering a sleeping draught to her to keep her down, "She can see through disguises, she saw Morgause and warned us."

"And I scried ahead to see why you were going along with it, Gwen could tell you were frightened," Morgana added, "As could I. I saw your father being held by Odin's men."

"Don't fear Mithian," Arthur squeezed the hand on his arm, "We know of her treachery and we know of Odin's plans. We've planned for this. We shall get your father back safely."

Mithian blinked rapidly, feeling tears coming to her eyes, "Thank you Arthur."

~8~

"Are we close?" Merlin asked as they followed Mithian through the woods, the woman seeming far more confident and determined than before, now that Morgause was taken care of, tied up and unconscious and lying over the side of her horse, and that she knew they were aware and had planned for a trap.

She nodded, "The tomb lies just east of the river."

Arthur looked back at his men, "We're about to cross the Camelot border into Nemeth. This is Odin's land now. Stay alert."

They journeyed on, following the river, till they spotted a small cave in the rocks beside the river, like a hole cut into a ridge.

"That's it," Morgana nodded, "I saw it in my vision."

"Yes," Mithian swallowed hard, "We should find my father inside."

"Along with Odin's men," Gwaine remarked.

"Which is nothing we did not already know and prepare for," Lancelot countered.

"Let's go then," Arthur nodded, getting off his horse as did the others, "Right," he turned to his men, "Leon, Elyan, Gwaine, Lancelot, stand watch with the others. Percival you're with me, if Odin is injured, we may need your strength to get him out and to safety so Morgana can heal him."

"Yes sire," Percival nodded, hefting Morgause over his shoulder, as the four knights turned to guard the entrance just after Arthur, Merlin, Morgana, Percival, and Mithian stepped in.

"The burial chamber lies just ahead," Mithian warned them quietly as she led them down a tunnel and towards a tomb where her father was being kept as bait for the trap, "At the end of that tunnel."

Arthur looked at his sister and 'brother,' nodding at them before they stepped into the chamber, moving to the middle, his sword in hand, but waiting…not at all surprised when the room suddenly filled with Odin's men, all of them rushing to attack him…only to be blasted back at the walls and slump down them. Arthur rolled his eyes and turned to Merlin, seeing his eyes fading from the gold they'd just been, "You couldn't let me get even a little bit in?" he scoffed at the man.

"I'd rather not incur the wrath of my sister if you return with a scratch Arthur," Merlin smirked.

Arthur shook his head and turned back when Odin strode into the room, smirking, calling, "Arthur Pendragon, at l…" before he trailed off, seeing his men, all of them, down for the count. He pulled his sword, but made no move to attack as he was severely outnumbered. Mithian tried to run past him, to the older man that had been led along with him, Rodor, the king of Nemeth, but Odin held his sword up, pointed at her, moving to stand before Rodor to block her way.

"Odin" Arthur greeted, "I believe you wanted me here," he opened his arms, "Here I am."

Odin glared at him, "You killed my son," he told the young king, "You took what was most precious to me and now," he pointed his sword at Arthur, ready to fight him if need be, "You will pay the forfeit."

"My father's life" Arthur shook his head, "That wasn't enough?"

"No."

"You cannot kill me Odin."

"You think not?" the man scoffed, "What, because of Camelot? Camelot is nothing without its king."

"You forget my knights, who would hunt you down and not rest until they do so. You forget my sister, my brother in law," he gestured at Morgana and Merlin, "You forget my wife, the Queen, would still live, along with my heirs. No," he shook his head, "You kill me you WILL have Camelot to answer to and I assure you, my wife has already made it very clear to me just what she would do if anyone ever tried what you are attempting."

"And what's that?"

"Have you ever faced a dragon, Odin?" Odin didn't say a word, just glared more, "She would make that look like a unicorn in comparison to the devastation she'd create in her path to get to you," he took a breath, "I am not here for that Odin. I come for a trade."

"A trade?" Odin spat.

"The King of Nemeth," he nodded, gesturing to Percival, who stepped forward and placed Morgause on one of the stone tombs, "For the Sorceress Morgause."

"You can keep her," Odin spat, "I have what I came here for standing right in front of me!" he suddenly lunged at Arthur, swinging his sword.

"Don't!" Arthur shouted behind him, not to Odin, but to Merlin, who had stepped forward to cast a spell, "This is between me and Odin," he managed one glance at Merlin before he focused entirely on the duel before him, Morgana tugging Merlin back, Percival rushing to Mithian and Rodor's side to protect them, turning to rush them out of the room and to safety while the magic-users watched.

Arthur, luckily was very skilled with a blade and soon enough was able to best Odin, getting the man on his knees, his sword aimed at his neck. Arthur was panting hard, his arms shaking, the sword dangerously close to the man's head but…Merlin could see it, a hesitation in Arthur. He could have beheaded the man already but he wasn't.

Odin seemed to notice the same for he glared up at Arthur, "Finish it. Finish it and be done."

"And what then?" Arthur shook his head, "Your people will seek they're revenge. A war without an end."

"There is no other way."

"There is another way," Arthur countered, "In return for your life, you must restore Rodor to the throne of Nemeth."

"Even if I agreed it solves nothing. What about us, Pendragon?"

"A truce. Binding our kingdoms to peace."

"Never."

"Is this what you want?" Arthur's eyes narrowed, "To die here, now know you condemn this land to war. Odin, you cannot let it end like this. The blood will never wash off."

"You killed my son."

"You killed my father! We have both lost much at the others hand. Let us lose no more, I am offering you the chance to end this. Take it!" he tossed his sword aside, "I have tried to hold one king at sword point to force peace. Never again," he held out a hand to Odin, "Take it."

Merlin smiled as he watched Arthur, knowing he was speaking of Caerleon, how he'd had the man on his knees, much like Odin, and held his sword to him, threatening him to sign a truce for peace before doing as Odin was requestinng and kill him. Arthur had done it then and it nearly led to war, but now...now he was making the decision he should have then. True peace could not be brokered with a sword at your throat.

Odin looked at Arthur's hand a long while, "So be it. A truce it is," before he took it.

"NO!" a voice screeched and they looked over to see that Morgause had woken up.

The woman lifted her hand to send a magical blast of fire at the pair and Morgana reacted, deflecting the blast, but it hit the roof of the tomb instead. The room started to shake as the ceiling started to collapse, dust and rock falling from above them.

"Go!" Arthur shouted, pushing Odin on towards the exit, needing the man alive to prevent war and maintain the truce, urging Merlin and Morgana to go ahead of him as they all rushed out, unfortunately having to leave Morgause to have her escape.

~8~

Marayna smiled as she and Arthur walked through the halls of Camelot, he had just regaled her with the tale of their rescue of king Rodor, how Morgana had healed the man and now he, Mithian, and Odin were heading back to Nemeth so that Odin could call off his men and allow Rodor back on the throne, how Camelot had a new truce.

"I'm so proud of you Arthur," Marayna looked at him, "I know it couldn't have been easy to have Odin right there and offer him a truce instead of execution."

Arthur shook his head, "It was easier when I thought about it, and I did," he stopped to look at her, "I thought about what I would do, the entire way there, and, thinking about it, it made it easier to know what to do, to resist what I WANTED to do. Instead…I did what I needed to do for the benefit of Camelot."

Marayna reached out and touched his face, "You are truly building the most magnificent, peaceful kingdom for our children sire."

He smiled widely at her use of 'sire,' and turned, tucking her arm into his as they walked on.

~8~

However, in another part of the castle, Merlin was pacing before his own wife, "I'm worried Gana," he admitted, "Morgause…she's getting stronger. To have held an aging spell that long?" he shook his head, "That's frightening. I couldn't imagine doing it."

Morgana moved over to him and took his hands in hers, "You've never had to hold it that long but, I think, if you had you would have done it with ease," she smirked, squeezing his hands, "You are Emrys, there's no one stronger than you in magic."

"Aya is."

Morgana shook her head, "She's your equal, you know that."

"What if…one day, Morgause reaches that point?" he looked at her in concern.

"Well then, it'll be two against one."

"Those aren't fair odds," he started to smile.

Morgana shrugged, "She won't play fair. So neither shall we."

Merlin laughed at that, tugging her closer to kiss her, "I love you."

Morgana hummed happily, "I love you too."

Merlin pulled her in and hugged her tightly, his wife was amazing.

A/N: Poor Mithian :( She's come a long way :) But I can say we'll have a very sweet chapter for Gwen next ;)

I hate power outages -sigh- power didn't come back on at my house till 10:12pm :( Good thing my mom and I prepared and got lots of ice for the perishables lol :) I went to my town's library and used their computers to get this and DW edited. I'm just glad that the power's back and I can post on time ;)

Some notes on reviews...

We'll have to see what future lies ahead for Merlin and his sister and family ;) I can't say for Ayla though, it'll depend how the show goes, but I can say that I AM hoping there'll be something in Series 8 where I can maybe slip in overprotective father-Doctor if a young boy he's helping notice's Ayla ;)


	7. The Key to Happiness

The Key to Happiness

Gwen woke slowly, smiling as she felt the sun on her skin and she knew Lancelot had to be awake already, likely at training with the knights. That was how they knew who was awake first if they didn't wake together. The sunlight. They both loved feeling it on their skin, warming them as they woke so, whoever was awake first, if they had to leave, would open the curtains only enough where the light fell on their bodies but not their eyes, warming them and helping them wake slowly for the new day. She loved waking to the sun but she'd much rather wake in the arms of her husband. Even now, even three years after he'd been returned to her, she still had trouble believing that he was really alive and back with her. It was just…so miraculous, truly that her husband was back. She was one of the few who knew that he truly HAD been dead, he'd died.

But he was back now.

She liked waking in his arms because it reminded her he was back and that she hadn't just dreamed it. Lancelot knew that, of course, he'd been well aware after the first few months of his return, when he'd returned to training with the knights and other things. The first few weeks of that he'd spot her rushing out onto the fields, appearing like she just wanted to watch the training but when it happened each and every time and every time he saw her she had a deep fear and then relief in her eyes, he knew. It had slowly faded though and she'd ended up being so tense that she'd wake up and sit in their rooms and clean and sew and polish frantically to try and keep herself from rushing out to see him till he came back. He'd worked it out very quickly that something was bothering her and that it was because she'd wake up and not seem him there and think that everything was a dream.

Ever since he'd realized that, she'd wake up on the days where he rose before her and find a small flower, just a little sprig of something there on his pillow for her. She'd wear it behind her ear or in her hair or on her dress. It was so thoughtful and sweet and it really did help remind her that he was there because there was never a flower there when she went to sleep to start with. Today was one of those days when she turned on her side, her arm reaching out to his side of the bed, a smile, though sad, on her face to see him missing. She loved the moments they could wake together but the two of them, being raised the way they had been, understood how precious getting extra sleep was and couldn't bear to wake the other from their slumber.

She blinked though when she saw that there was a rather different flower waiting there for her.

A rose.

A lovely red rose.

She smiled and reached out to take it, sniffing its lovely scent before she stood. Lancelot knew she was a simple girl, that small flowers were all that she needed to smile widely the entire day, but every so often, every once in a while, he would gift her with a larger flower, lilies or roses or other lovely flowers. Usually though it was only for a very important day, her birthday or their anniversary or the day that he returned from the dead or her father's passing, just days where he knew that she needed a little more cheer or deserved a wider smile. But that…didn't make sense right now though. She was quite sure it wasn't any of those days. She would have remembered if it was. Quite a few of those memorable days were closer to holidays. Their anniversary closer to Samhain, the day Lancelot returned closer to Beltane, her birthday and her father's passing in between, and it wasn't any of those days really.

It made her curious what it could be.

She sat up, about to get ready for the day and go find her husband, thank him for what he'd done, when she spotted a piece of paper rolled up on the pillow where the rose had been. She blinked and reached out to take it, unrolling it to read the message he'd written for her.

_Magic, Strength, Courage, and Heart, I've been told, are the key to everything. Find them_.

Gwen stared at the message for a moment and had to laugh. She knew it was Lancelot's way of trying to be romantic. He was very dashing and suave when he was with her, very romantic and sweet…it just didn't quite come across when it came to the written word. Her husband was no poet but that was just as well, she didn't want a poet, she wanted Lancelot just the way he was. But it did make her curious as to what he wanted her to find in the others, she knew the tale of when Arthur had gone after the Fisher King, Merlin had told them what the Bridge Keeper had called each of them. She just couldn't imagine what Lancelot needed her to find from them or why.

But still, this, any note that came with a flower was Lancelot's attempt to be sweet for her so she'd go and see what it was he wanted her to do.

~8~

Magic was Merlin.

It was quiet easy to find him actually, he and Morgana loved to take a stroll around the market and Lower Town in the mornings just after breakfast. To them it was a great way to start the day, to see the hustle and bustle of the kingdom, the others starting their days. And she knew that the mornings were when the children had the most energy and were excitable. They loved seeing Merlin and Morgana around and…there was a secret that she knew only she and those Arthur trusted most with the knowledge of the magic his family had knew.

The people loved Merlin, he had been a servant just like them, had been among them and lived like them and his new status as a Prince hadn't changed anything at all. Much like his sister, he refused to wear extravagant clothing or high quality ones. He still wore his red tunic, his brown pants and jacket, and his blue neckerchief. Like his sister, his usual outfit was just slightly better in material than it had been, but it did help the people see him as the same man. Morgana's gowns were still just as lovely as ever, but more simple, more earth toned, browns and blues and greens to match her husband. The people adored Morgana as well given all the time she'd spent with Gaius, making rounds and helping to heal and tend to the ill. They loved the fact that first Uther's ward, then daughter, had been among them, tending to them when she didn't have to. She had been there, among the injured during attacks, getting her gowns stained and her hands dirty, sweating and tired and pushing on to help them. They loved the two so much.

And the children did as well.

The wonderful thing about it all was that the people didn't know what Morgana and Merlin would play when they'd come around and the kids would flock to them. One or two of the villagers would offer their homes for Merlin and Morgana to give 'story time' to the children, tell them tales of Arthur's daring deeds, of their own, of all the knights and everyone who loved Camelot. But she knew that those villagers were not JUST villagers, but magic-users, who would stand outside their homes, inconspicuously, and keep watch as Merlin and Morgana did their stories…because they'd use magic.

It was a dangerous game, a very dangerous one, to use magic in front of others, especially children where they were more likely to talk and chatter to their parents about it. It was risky and, if the wrong child said the wrong thing, it could mean the end of Merlin or Morgana's lives if they were caught. But they'd selected children who were very young. Young enough to not be as terrified of magic or think it as evil as those older than them, and old enough to know how serious it was that they remain quiet about it. It had started shortly after William had been born, inspired by the stories Arthur and Marayna would tell the boy even as a baby. For three years Merlin and Morgana had worked to tell stories of good magic to the children and each year they included more children when they were sure they were old enough to realize that they NEEDED to keep quiet about what was happening.

They'd tell stories and make small uses of magic, a butterfly of light, a small sparkle of magic, shapes dancing in dust, little things, simple things that could show the children the wonder of magic without anything evil to it. They'd even managed to tell them good stories about Dragons, making a small shape of one in a candle at times, just so that they wouldn't be terrified if Kilgharrah was ever allowed back to Camelot (which they were hopeful for).

They'd started with the 5 year olds, they seemed to be young enough to love the stories and not feel as biased against magic and yet were old enough to realize that they could NOT tell their parents what they were told. So they told them stories and showed them magic and each year they'd take on new 5-year-old. Those children were 8 now and their views on magic were drastically different than their parents. They felt slightly guilty, as though they were undermining their parents raising their children to have them have so different beliefs, but it might be the only way to keep the those with magic safe, if children saw it and said nothing to their parents.

And it was important to Arthur and Marayna especially that the children start to look at magic differently. The 5 year old now, were only 2 when the last execution for magic had taken place. And they were hoping that, when William was 5 he would have a nice base for friendship as the children wouldn't be as alarmed by his magic and accept him. They were hoping to create a new outlook on magic and less fear that the laws had bred for decades.

She reached one of the homes that the stories usually occurred in and made her way to the doors, nodding at the Druid woman that was sweeping just outside and keeping an eye on any who came near. She knocked on the door and heard Morgana call for her to come in, to see that the children were all trying to catch little sparkles of magic, like little fireflies as Merlin's eyes flashed. They knew that if someone knocked it was someone that the Druid let through. If it was one of the parents, the Druid woman would start talking to signify that there was someone close, call out a greeting and things like that.

"Gwen," Morgana smiled as she walked over to see the woman smiling at the children, "I see you found Lancelot's gift," she noted the rose in Gwen's hand.

Gwen blushed, "He told you then?" she was guessing he may have gotten the others involved in this, as he'd identified them in his letter.

"He did," Morgana nodded.

"Could you tell me what he's planning?" she asked.

"No," Morgana laughed, "No but it's very sweet."

"Why's he doing it though?" Gwen shook her head, "It's not a special day or…"

"Every day is a special day," Merlin called, walking over and wrapping his arm around Morgana's waist, "When you spend it with a special person."

Gwen started to smile at that, it was just Lancelot being sweet, "He said to find you two, find 'magic,'" she whispered the last word just to be safe.

Merlin nodded and turned, picking up a small twig that was lying on the windowsill, "For a lovely lady," he offered it to her, the twig turning into a rose as he held it up to her.

Gwen eyed it a moment before she took it, not sure why there was another rose but going with it., "Did he say anything?" she looked at them, "Another message?"

"No," Morgana shook her head, "The one he left you is all we're allowed to say."

"Go find the others," Merlin winked, "And you'll work it out."

Gwen rolled her eyes at that, but turned to go, a happy smile on her face as she wondered what the others were going to do.

~8~

Strength was next, and she knew that, in this context, it wasn't just Gwaine that Lancelot meant, but all the knights, her brother included. So she made her way to the forge, knowing her brother would be there. He worked in the forge part time, spending the rest training with the other knights and defending Camelot. She was actually rather excited for the day that would come where he'd be an uncle as well as a knight and blacksmith. She and Lancelot had talked for a long while and they just adored William and Rosaline and it had made them realize how much they'd wanted a child.

She always had, ever since she'd been small, she'd just had a soft spot for them. Seeing Marayna growing with child when Lancelot had died had hurt her so badly. She'd wanted to be happy for her friends, one about to have a child, the other about to get married but…it was hard. Her own husband had died only days after marrying her and all the hope she'd had that maybe, just maybe, she would be with child as well, to have that one small object that was left of her husband beside his ring, was gone. The months went by and the more time that happened, the more that went past without her own stomach starting to grow the less happy she became, the more closed off, the more…resentful, and she didn't want to be that. She didn't want to be resentful of her best friends and their happiness.

It had been a blessing to wake in another village and realize that she was out of Camelot and she hadn't run away, she'd remember that. Whatever it was that had brought her to that place she'd been grateful for. But learning about the oncoming attack on Camelot, she'd had to return and warn them even if it meant returning to the kingdom who had led to his death. But then…he'd come back, one of her best friends had given her her husband back and she'd felt so badly that she'd felt the way she had in the first place.

Now though, she was happy and she and Lancelot were at a place where they felt safe enough to have a child. They knew that their son or daughter would likely not have any magic at all, not ever. But they were so close to Marayna and Merlin, to Morgana and Arthur, that they couldn't imagine their children not being friends with theirs. They wanted to know that their child would be safe from other dangers and the law. It was ridiculous, really, that they were frightened of the law that would have their child killed for merely playing with William or Rosaline, given who they were. Arthur was already in the process of changing the laws, it was very delicate and one wrong word could give the impression of enchantment so it was taking a while to try and work out how to phrase it, how to make a punishment that wouldn't make magic-users feel like they were being prosecuted.

She hated politics.

She had to wonder, as she pushed the door open to her brother's forge, if that was why she'd been so accepting of magic when it came to Merlin and Marayna and Morgana. She'd spent her life around swords and weapons. So many things that could kill her easily in one wrong move. They were items that could be used to kill as well as defend. It was just a tool, like magic was. It was just an object to be used and could no more corrupt someone than having a sword in their hand could. Though a sword could be just as corrupting, it gave the holder the power of life or death over their victim or opponent.

"Elyan?" she called as she stepped into the forge, "Are you here?"

"In here Gwen!" he called from another room and she stepped in to see him sitting on a stool, sharpening a new sword, "How's my sister doing?"

"I'm fine," she laughed, moving to lean against the anvil in the side of the room, "How's training with the knights?"

"Ah it's fine," he shrugged, "Arthur's pushing us harder though."

"You know he has to," Gwen gave him a look.

"Yeah, there'll be…a lot of backlash when he makes that law public," Elyan nodded, thinking of the new laws Arthur was working on to allow magic. He was trying to work it out where good magic was allowed, magic used to harm others was punishable, it was bound to have some sort of test by other magic users.

"I just hope no one does something foolish," Gwen sighed.

By foolish she meant a citizen of Camelot. She knew that the backlash they were fearing would come from the people themselves. Being told for nearly 30 years that something was evil and then have it change? They all knew that magic-users would come to Camelot specifically to use their magic and see if the law would hold, if they'd be executed for levitating a basket for someone or for making a dolly dance for a child. And seeing that magic…there was bound to be someone in Camelot who would cry sorcery even after the law was changed, who might attack the magic-users.

Never before had they thought that they'd be preparing to defend the magic-users against the citizens but they knew that forcing the magic-users to have to use their magic to protect themselves would only be seen as more 'evil' magic or attacks, even if they were provoked or forced to fight back.

Thinking on it, the witchfinder had been called in merely because, for only a few seconds, Merlin had made a horse appear to in the smoke of a fire just for fun, for a bit of a smile and people had run to the king, fearing for their lives from just a bit of smoke? If they could do that from a few seconds of something that could be stopped by blowing out breath…they were truly frightened of what some of Camelot's people might do if there was a magic user who made a small dog appear in dust, like Merlin often did for the children.

"We both know that's not what brought you round here though," Elyan grinned, "Come for something have you?"

Gwen smiled and shook her head, "I might have. I'm not sure what though."

Elyan chuckled and stood, moving to a small cupboard in the wall and opening, turning around to present her…with a metal flower. It was literally a rose, crafted out of metal, so intricately made and so well colored and formed and textured that she honestly thought it was a real rose till it was in her hands and she could feel the metal.

"Elyan it's beautiful," she breathed, staring at it.

"Someone I know wanted it commissioned for someone," he shrugged, giving her a pointed look.

Gwen just grinned, "It's your best work yet."

"Oh thanks," he laughed, rolling his eyes, "I'm holding this beauty," he lifted his sword, "And you say that little thing's the best I've made."

Gwen just walked over and hugged him tightly for his part in this.

~8~

Courage and Heart, well that had to be Arthur and Marayna, Gwen knew.

Even though Marayna hadn't been a part of that quest Merlin had helped Arthur with, she knew that she had been a reason behind it, a driving force that pushed Merlin, Arthur, and Gwaine onwards. So she made her way to the castle, checking in the Main Hall first to see if they were there before she headed up to their bedchambers, about to knock on the door…when she heard something inside.

It almost sounded like a battle was going on within, and she would have rushed in to check if everything was ok had she not heard Marayna laughing and a small clapping noise. She knocked and peeked in when she heard Marayna call that she could come in to see something that she was sure she'd either laugh about for hours after or dream about with Lancelot in place of Arthur.

Just inside was Arthur, in a blue tunic, with a small wooden sword in his hand, having a little mock-duel with William, the boy in Camelot red, with his father's crown on his head and looking far too big for him, and holding his own small wooden sword. The two men were having a little sword fight and William was terrible! She had seen so many sword fights in her life but William was only three so it was understandable that he was just swinging his little wooden sword at his father. But Arthur, much like Percival, was making a show that William was besting him. She knew why Arthur was doing it though. She'd been in Camelot as Arthur was growing up, she'd seen him training with the knights. She'd seen Uther instructing him how to fight and the man was…a brute, when it came to his son. Truly she felt so badly for Arthur growing up. Uther hardly ever let him win, didn't playfully fight his son, and criticized him every time he didn't use the right stance or attack.

To see Arthur there and having fun with his son, being playful instead of serious…it warmed her heart.

And then there was Rosaline, the little princes propped up on the bed, pillows around her to keep her in place and clapping at her brother, missing her hands half the time, but clearly enjoying what was going on as she laughed and clapped. Marayna was off to the side, in one of the chairs by the fireplace, turned to watch them instead of the fire, a magic book open in her lap, studying her spells.

Gwen slowly made her way to the second chair by the fire and turned it to face them, sitting down beside Marayna, "What's going on?" she asked the queen.

"William is defending his sister from an enemy that wants to spirit her away," Marayna explained, "He's pretending to be the king."

"Why's Arthur wearing blue?" she had to shake her head at that, "I don't think I've ever seen him really wearing blue before. Is he pretending to be from Mercia?"

"No," Marayna sighed, "I think he's subtly trying to teach William that that shade of blue is bad and should be illegal."

"But that's the color of yours and Rosaline's eyes," Gwen noted.

"Exactly," she nodded, "He can hardly focus when I wear that color and he's convinced that Rosaline will be the object of too many boys affections in the future if he lets her wear that color gown."

Gwen laughed at that, "I wonder what William will make illegal that's just plain rubbish. Uther with Magic, Arthur with the color blue…"

"Vegetables," Marayna answered, "He hates vegetables."

Gwen smiled at that, watching the father and son duel, wondering if her son would be the same. And speaking of children, and husbands, she turned back to Marayna, "Did Lancelot stop by before?" she asked her.

"Yes, he had something he wanted us to give you."

"What?"

"Arthur?" she called and Arthur looked over, distracted enough for William to get a poke at his gut with his little sword.

"Ooh," Arthur mock cried, sinking to his knees, "You have gotten me good sir," he looked at his son, his hands on his stomach, "I yield."

William grinned and stuck his sword in the air…only for Arthur to reach out and grab him, scooping him up and tickling his stomach till the boy squirmed and laughed.

"Arthur," Marayna called again, "Gwen's here."

"Ah, hello Guinevere," Arthur smiled carrying William over to them.

"She wanted that thing that Lancelot left."

"Right," Arthur nodded slowly, "William would you like to give your aunt Gwen her gift from uncle Lance?"

William nodded and squirmed out of his father's arms, running over to the desk in the back and climbing onto Arthur's large chair till he could reach the desk. Gwen saw him grab something and hop off the chair, rushing back to her. William looked at his parents who gave him a small nod and he knelt on one knee, "I pesent you with a gift," he held up a flower to her, another rose.

Gwen smiled, "I thank you most heartily my prince," she took the rose, leaning in to kiss William's cheek, making him wrinkle his nose at it and try to rub his cheek as his parents laughed.

"William I think you should go check on your sister, make sure the mean old enemy didn't scare her," Marayna suggested.

"Lyn!" William turned and climbed onto the chest at the end of the bed and climbed onto the bed from that, crawling over to his sister and sitting before her to check on her.

"He's a dear," Gwen remarked.

"He's a good boy," Arthur agreed, "A strong boy."

"Did…Lancelot happen to tell you what I'm supposed to do now?" she asked them.

"All he said was that he left you a note that had everything in it."

"But I've found everyone he told me to," Gwen frowned, "Where do I go next?"

"Who did you find?"

"Magic, Strength, Courage and Heart."

Marayna blinked, realizing why she might be confused, and reached out to touch her hand, "Gwen…I'M not Heart. Not this time."

Gwen blinked as well and started to smile, realizing who 'heart' was.

~8~

Gwen slowly entered her chambers to see there were candles lit everywhere, a small meal was set out on their little table, and Lancelot was standing there, with a rose in his hand. Gwen could only smile at him, shaking her head, unable to find the words to describe what she was feeling.

Lancelot smiled in return and stepped over to her, taking her hands, "You found my gifts," he looked at her, handing her the last rose to hold.

"I did," she nodded, looking up at him, "I don't understand why though. It's not a special day and…"

"Every day with you is special to me Gwen," Lancelot cut in, reminding her of the words Merlin had said, "Especially after…" he trailed off, not wanting to say, and took a breath, "I just wanted to do something to celebrate that. This was…this was actually a special day though."

She blinked, "It was?"

He nodded, "This was the first day we met."

She stared at him a long while, "It IS," she realized, before closing her eyes, surprised she'd forgotten it.

Lancelot chuckled, not blaming her, they hadn't celebrated that particular day ever, "I wanted to give you something that would prove that that day…was truly the day my life began. You hold my heart Guinevere, from the moment I first laid eyes on you it was yours. You give me courage when I feel frightened, your face is what I see to feel brave enough to do what I had to do. You make me stronger, I fight harder for I am fighting for you, I am a stronger man both of heart and body and soul for knowing you. You are…all the magic I need in my life Gwen, you may not have magic, but you are magical to me. You are...everything to me, you are the key to my happiness and I love you, so much."

"Lancelot," Gwen breathed, feeling tears fill her eyes at his words.

"These flowers," he held her hands in his own, continuing, "Represent my love for you. One flower, for each year that we have been married, and one for our future. I will love you, Guinevere, until the last flower wilts."

Gwen blinked and looked at them, "But…one of them is metal, it won't…" her breath caught, "It won't wilt…" she looked at him again, smiling as a tear fell from her eyes seeing what he meant in the flowers, "I will love you forever too," she whispered, leaning in to kiss him gently.

One of the flowers was metal, it would never die, it would last forever.

Just like their love.

A/N: Is it possible to kill a computer program thing? :( I had a note on my tumblr, but what happened was I woke up this morning to post this and DW...my ENTIRE Doc Manager was empty and I had about 49 Docs in there :'( All my editing for Merlin and DW was just gone and, of course, I have the unedited versions so I have to reupload them. But I start on this and editing it again, I go to save...completely blank Doc. It didn't just not save all my work, it erased it too :'( I had to do it again and then do DW and made sure to copy the entire chapter before saving...and of course, because I copied it to be safe, it worked fine :( Why does FF hate me? :'( I'm going to make sure that I save everything and copy everything before saving to avoid that happening again :(

About this chapter though, I love Lancelot and Gwen, they're adorable. I feel like this would be something Lancelot would do for her on a seemingly random day to her but one that was something he'd never forgotten :')

Some notes on reviews...

Arthur cares if Odin is injured at the end because he just made a truce with the man for peace, he can't just let him die otherwise Odin's men would just avenge their dead king (as he implied when Odin was telling him to kill him) :) Rodor was already out of the room by then, Percival rushed him and Mithian out the second Arthur started fighting Odin :) But yup, it was meant to be held (a reference Caerleon, Annis's husband, when he tried to force the man at sword point to sign a truce/treaty and ended up killing him, as Odin wanted (seems Arthur learned his lesson lol)). Odin couldn't just return to his own kingdom first as one of Arthur's demands was for him to restore Rodor to the throne in Nemeth, I think Odin would have to be there as his men might still be invading Nemeth and attack Rodor upon sight :) I added a line of Merlin thinking on Annis and her husband incase the reference back to that moment was too vague :)

Marayna definitely wants to get out of the castle a little bit and see some action coming her way, I can say that it's almost a way to save her strength for some rather key moments ;)

Oh we'll see Will interacting with some peasant children very soon ;) I can say there'll be a moment where one of his family might very nearly get taken from him and his thoughts on the subject were...rather powerful }:) I don't think we'll see one from Will's POV, as he's so young his parents are trying to keep him from seeing too much of the danger around Camelot at the moment :) Yup, I wear glasses :)

It's the 15th of every month, but I also have a note up on my profile that all spinoffs have been postponed till May when they'll be officially picked up again. I graduate then so I'll have more time to focus on them and get them written up and edited :)


	8. The Disir

The Disir

Marayna smiled as she and Arthur sat in their rooms, taking a light lunch before court was to be called. William was taking a small nap, which meant Benedict was as well. It amused Marayna to no end to see the fearsome head of the Bloodguard worn out by the energy of a three year old. Even though the man wasn't a nurse or a babysitter or anything like that to the children, he was their guard. He had to be where they were, and if he was there he'd be expected to interact with them. Well, not expected but William had a way of getting anyone to play with him, especially Benedict. It truly tired the man out in a way Marayna hadn't expected and she tended to laugh quite loudly when she'd walk in and see Benedict trying to nap while the children were with her or Arthur or one of their friends. He'd fallen asleep on a small broom once.

"Mordred's doing well then?" she smiled, pleased to know that her pseudo brother was catching on to the ways of the knights and getting on with them and Arthur.

"Well?" Arthur scoffed, a grin on his face, "He's good, VERY good. I may actually have to start trying soon."

She rolled her eyes, "Sure, you're not 'trying' now."

"I'll have you know, I'm not."

"You are."

"Am not."

"Are."

"Am not."

She scoffed this time, "Mordred is as good as my brother," she reminded him, "You'll go twice as hard on him as any others to not show special treatment. If he's good now…imagine if you didn't try so hard."

Arthur grinned, his wife knew him very well, "If he keeps it up, he'll be able to best half my knights when THEY try harder. Just before he used a counter quarter to my high-line attack. It was skillfully done."

"Is that so?" she nodded.

"You have no idea what a counter quarter is do you?"

"A type of parry, beginning in the quarter position, ending with a twist of the wrist."

"Impressive."

"Not really," she shrugged, "I've seen you do it enough times to recognize it."

"So you've been watching me then," he leaned in.

"As much as you have me."

"I don't watch you Mara, you're not sword fighting or training."

"I am studying my magic though," she remarked, leaning in as well, "Don't tell me you haven't been waiting and watching my eyes glow as I practice."

"Just…trying to get used to it," he defended.

"You've had about 4 years to get used to it Artie."

"Alright," he sighed, "I'm just captivated by your utter beauty."

"Flattery won't work on me Artie, so why don't you tell me what's really on your mind."

"Must you know me so well?" he asked her, shaking his head.

"Yes."

He chuckled at that and sat back, "Mordred has all the makings of a fine knight."

"I agree."

"He may even be one of the finest," he continued, "I'm determined he'll receive nothing but encouragement from me."

"Go on…"

"Mara…" he took a breath, "It'll mean that the day will come where he'll have to go on patrols with me, on quests, into battle…"

"And you're worried about how I'll react?" she raised an eyebrow at that, "Arthur…Mordred has magic to protect himself, he'll have you beside him and a sword in his hand. Look at all the battles you've survived, if he ends up being as skilled as you, I don't doubt he'll make it. And besides…I doubt Merlin or I would just let him walk onto a battlefield without at least one of us there too. Because any battle you need Mordred in, will be a dangerous one indeed. I trust in your training, you'll make Mordred an excellent knight and he'll be just fine."

"You think so?" he started to smile at that, touched at her faith in him.

"I do," she nodded, "And besides, I doubt you'd let anyone BUT you teach our son how to be a knight and how to fight, if Mordred survives, it means William will too."

Arthur nodded, "They will. The both of them."

~8~

The good spirits from the morning sadly didn't last as Leon brought in a report from the east that a rather famed sorcerer, Osgar, had been nearly apprehended by a small patrol in the Forest of Brechfa. Unfortunately the man had escaped but, with Leon there, and aware of the changing attitude of magic, had managed to give enough subtle orders that none of his men had been harmed when the man fled. But as a result, Arthur felt the need to personally seek the sorcerer out and see what he wanted. A man like Osgar wouldn't have been wandering so close to Camelot without a reason and he was hoping, if he took his 'more trusted knights' he might be able to speak to the man and see what was happening instead of attacking him like the men of Leon's garrison had tried to do upon recognition.

Arthur had decided though, that Mordred and Merlin should come on this endeavor. Mordred as he was a knight and this would be something expected of him, and also because of his magic, and Merlin because of his power and prestige in the magical world. He was almost like…an ambassador of sorts, helping him speak to magic-users and prove that he wasn't going to harm them like his father. Most knew Merlin as married to the king's sister so if HE displayed magic, and Arthur was fine with it, there was no reason to hide or worry.

Marayna had actually thought it was a brilliant idea, give Merlin and Mordred some more time to bond on the way. And so she stood in the square the next morning, watching as the knights prepared to head out, Mordred bright and early and eager to go and prove himself. It was things like that that made them all feel that Mordred couldn't possibly harm Arthur like the one vision Merlin and Morgana had seen. The boy was so gentle and kind and truly loyal to Arthur. He was so eager to prove himself and be a defender of the realm that imagining him harming Arthur was just…something that couldn't be done.

"You sure you haven't forgotten anything, Mordred?" Leon called as they readied their horses.

"Do you think so?" Mordred frowned and turned to them.

"Isn't he missing a dagger?" Gwaine remarked.

"I can't see a water bottle," Elyan shook his head.

"No," even Lancelot joined in a bit, though he had been assigned to remain in the castle with Gwen, "I didn't see him pack his whetstone."

"His boot," Percival quipped, "He's missing a boot, I think."

Marayna rolled her eyes at that as the knights started to laugh and glanced around a moment before her eyes flashed and all five men winced forward as though they'd been whacked on the back of the head. All of them immediately turned to Marayna as she smiled innocently, "What?" she shook her head, "Wasn't me."

"Right, Ray," Gwaine rolled his eyes at that, glancing at Merlin where he was talking to Arthur by Arthur's horse, William sitting on the saddle and squirming like he was going to be going along though they all knew he was to stay in the castle..

"She shook her head and stepped closer, "Now…I want the four of you to promise me you'll keep each other safe," she gave them a pointed look, making them all nod, "And be NICE," she added, fixing a firmer look at them, "If I hear a single peep that you were teasing Mordred, there'll be hell to pay when you return."

The knights nodded their heads to her in agreement…Marayna was really very scary when she wanted to be, despite how gentle and nurturing she was around her children.

"Gentlemen," Arthur called as he scooped his son out of his arms and set him down, the boy scurrying over to his mother. He gave Marayna a wink as he got on his horse, "We ride!" he announced, turning to lead his horse out, the others following him as Marayna and William waved them on, Lancelot coming to stand beside them.

~8~

Merlin had kept an eye out for Mordred on the way, making sure the knights didn't tease him too much. They'd tried to convince the boy that he had to ride backwards on his horse as it was 'tradition' so Merlin had magically loosened their saddles till they slid under their horses for it. Arthur had laughed at that and told the knights to ease off of Mordred, he was already being challenged enough. And it was true, for Merlin and Marayna it was one thing to be the Prince and Queen and have magic. For Mordred…he was a KNIGHT. He was literally the front defense 'against magic' and meant to be the one searching the towns for signs of it or dragging people with it before the court. It was harder for him to be 'expected' to be the one doing that instead of the one passing judgment. Luckily it hadn't come to that and they were hoping it never would.

"Stop!" Arthur called a short while later, hearing a crack of a branch.

They waited a moment before Merlin got off his horse, "It's alright," he called, "We know you're there."

The knights glanced at each other but then an older man in a cloak stepped out past the trees, looking at Arthur instead of Merlin or Mordred or the knights, "Sire," he bowed his head, "My name is Osgar."

"I know who you are," Arthur nodded, moving to get off his horse, seeming to shock the man that he was going to face him on level instead of look down at him from above, "This are my brother-in-laws, Merlin," he clapped Merlin on the shoulder, "And Mordred," he gestured to Mordred who had gotten off his horse as well, standing more near the knights as they dismounted, smiling as Arthur called him his 'brother.'

Osgar nodded, not seeming to understand why the king was introducing the two men, "I am sent from the sacred Disir to pass judgment on Arthur Pendragon, the Once and Future King."

Arthur straightened, "What right have you to pass judgment?"

"No man is above the Disir," Osgar sighed, "However royal. It is my duty to pass their judgment on to you, dread King. My sacred duty," he bowed his head, holding out a coin to Arthur, "Your hand...Arthur Pendragon," Arthur hesitated before holding out his hand, the man placing the coin into it, "It is done."

Arthur looked at the coin and back to the man, "I'm not sure I understand, what is this?"

"It is both judgment and fate," Osgar stated, "You have waged war on the people of the Old Religion. Now the ancient gods answer you. The Disir have spoken. The circle of fate begins to close. For even as Camelot flowers, the seeds of her destruction are being sown."

"Osgar…" Arthur began.

"It is not too late, Arthur," the man cut in, "Not too late to find the true path. Redeem yourself. No further chance shall be given…"

Arthur looked at the man and then to Merlin, "Merlin, if you would?"

Merlin let out a gentle laugh and nodded, his eyes flashing as the water flask attacked to his horse flew into his hands and he offered it to Osgar, "Water?"

Osgar stared at Merlin in wide eyes, before turning to Arthur as though expecting the man to run Merlin through, but Arthur just stood there, smirking, "Explain to me how _I_ have been the one to wage war during my own kingship?"

"You…" Osgar looked between the two, stopping on Merlin, "You…are the brother to the king…you have magic?!" that was…NOT what he was expecting.

"Or course Lord Emrys has magic," Mordred stated, coming to stand beside Merlin.

"Emrys?" Osgar appeared as though he were about to pass out.

"Water?" Merlin offered him, seeing that.

"You would not…condemn him?" Osgar just turned to Arthur instead, this was not at all like what the Disir implied was the sort of king Arthur was. And…if this was not a jest…they had passed judgment on an innocent man!

"And feel the wrath of my wife for murdering her brother?" Arthur scoffed, the knights starting to chuckle at that, "She is the High Priestess, our son a Dragonlord, our daughter has magic as well," he looked at the man, "I am as immersed in the Old Religion as I can possibly be. We celebrate the festivals of the Druids, we have not executed a single criminal for the reason of having magic in near three years. I am, at this very moment, drafting laws to allow it back."

Merlin frowned, seeing Osgar looked utterly stunned at that, "Who told you he wasn't?" he frowned.

Osgar just looked at Arthur, "You must seek out the Disir," he told the king urgently, looking at the coin, "I fear they have made a grave mistake. That," he nodded at the coin, "Is a runemark, my lord. It is only given to those found wanting by the court of the Disir."

"You mentioned them," Merlin frowned, "But who are they exactly."

"The highest court of the Old Religion," Mordred answered, "It was a story, in the Druid camps," he explained, "They told us that the Disir could scry in an ancient pool fed by the sacred spring at Caerlanrigh from a grove of yew trees in the Black Mountains, the Grove of Brineved."

"Three women are chosen at birth to be trained as seers and soothsayers," Osgar began.

"Like Morgana," Arthur remarked, "My sister," he added as Osgar looked at him, confused, "Is a natural Seer, and Healer."

Osgar let out a breath at that, feeling more and more that the Disir had been tricked somehow, that all they knew of Arthur were lies, "They are tasked to interpret the word of the Triple Goddess. Once they pass judgement, their word is final. And they are waiting to pass it on you, Arthur Pendragon. The Old Religion holds that the runemark not only contains a man's guilt but the path that the gods choose for him. This is your judgement and fate."

Arthur shook his head, "My sister's fate was once believed to be the path of darkness. She is now a healer and an asset to Camelot. I believe I make my own path. I am not my father Osgar, I have made Camelot a fairer, more just kingdom, ridding it of the cruelties and injustices of the past," he took a breath, "If they wish to judge me...I shall hear their qualms and defend myself equally."

~8~

Arthur led his men to the grove that Mordred had mentioned, not turning back to Camelot as they were near enough to the grove and he knew it would be a sign of disrespect to the Disir if he were to not heed their request for his presence to be judged and left. He had learned his lessons from the Unicorn, from the Horn, from the Well, to respect the ways of the Old Religion and to show them that he was truly trying to be a better king. He'd turned to his men and told them that any who wished to return to Camelot could…none of them had even blinked before kicking their horses on towards the mountains the grove reside in. It warmed him to know he had the support of his men and he hoped it would make a good case that they were all going there with respect in mind.

Still, he couldn't help but wonder if the Disir had been right. Had he not done enough? Had he not acted quickly enough in trying to return magic to Camelot? It was a delicate time and transition. His father had instantly added a law and caused chaos. To instantly change the law, nearly reverse it, could mean twice as much chaos. He knew that to suddenly make the laws allow magic would mean that magic users would come to test it, to push the limits of it, and his own people would likely provoke them, treat them with prejudice and hesitation and derision. He was trying to do his best to change a law that had been in place nearly 30 years. A majority of his peers, of villagers and townspeople his age had grown up thinking magic evil. HE was all the proof there needed to be seen of how some people might react to magic being revealed. He'd had the worst reactions and he was terrified of what it could mean for his family. If his people saw his wife and the heirs to the throne had magic…he was scared for their lives that the people would react badly to it.

He would do anything to protect his family and if it meant taking more time to perfect the laws, to have a set plan to change it…he'd wait.

He smiled to himself though, thinking about the Disir, if Marayna were there…he knew she'd have smacked him in the head and told him to stop being so brooding, he was a good and just king, he was changing things on all sides. His care and compassion and consideration for his people, the way he was looking past magic as a crime, the way he saw the benefits of it instead of the danger like his father…he was a better king and he deserved a better judgment. He knew that, in full, Marayna's title of High Priestess also included a reference to the 'Triple Goddess' and if the goddess's own High Priestess could not only marry him and give him a child but love him as she did…then the mouthpiece of the Triple Goddess should hear him out at least.

Their horses seemed to naturally slow as they approached the entrance to a small cave.

"This place is sacred," Merlin breathed as they stopped.

Mordred got off his horse and took his sword off, leaving it with his horse, "We cannot enter armed into a sacred place," he offered to the others as explanation, all the knights and Arthur doing the same, leaving their weapons outside.

Arthur took a breath, looking at his men before he slowly entered the cave, walking until he came to a small pool where three women in dark cloaks were standing, "I am Arthur Pendragon, King of Camelot. I come here, to the Grove of Brineved, to present myself to you. This grove is in the kingdom of Camelot, subject to its laws, its decrees. Every man, however humble, however noble, has the right to be judged only by his peers. Yet you appear to judge me in my absence."

"We do not judge," the first woman whispered.

"We do not condemn," the second agreed.

"We are but the internuncio of the one who presides over all," the third added.

"Who sees all."

"Who knows all."

"The Triple Goddess," they all cried.

"And you, Arthur Pendragon," the first woman tilted her head at him, "Have angered her."

"In what way?" Arthur frowned, "Have I not been an honorable king? Have I not made Camelot a fair and just kingdom?"

"So much is true."

"But you have denied the Old Religion," the second nodded.

"Dismissed its faith," the third breathed.

"Persecuted its followers."

"Even unto slaughter."

It was all Arthur could do not to scoff at that, "You believe I fight against sorcery?" he eyed the women, "Is it possible for your vision to be contaminated? The words you hear poisoned?"

"Do not insult the Goddess!" the second woman hissed.

"Or you shall feel the destruction of everything you most value," the third warned.

"The end of your reign," the first called.

"The fall of Camelot itself!" they all shouted.

"I mean no insult," Arthur told them, "I merely fear for you," he saw the women shift, "I stand here, before you, with the Archmage Emrys as my brother-in-law, the Druid Mordred, as one of my knights. My sister is a seer and healer, my children a Dragonlord and a witch, both born with magic. My wife," he shook his head, "Is the High Priestess of the Old Religion. Why do you believe I stand as an enemy of magic and the Old Religion?"

"Do you deny that the laws of Camelot have not changed?" the first woman eyed him.

"No."

"Do you deny that our kin still live in fear of their true selves?" the second inquired.

Arthur swallowed, "No."

"Do you deny that you are Uther Pendragon's son?" the third shouted.

"No," Arthur breathed.

"Arthur is NOT his father," Merlin stated, stepping forward.

"He's a good man," Mordred agreed, "He saved my life, knowing I was a Druid, while his father still lived."

"He looks past the station and status of those around him," Gwaine added, "He sees us for who we are, people."

"He judges only on the crimes committed," Percival joined his fellow knights, standing by Arthur, "Not on the magic they possess."

"There have been no executions for magic in years," Elyan told them.

"He is even changing the laws as we speak," Leon added, quieter, the Disir looking at him for it, "Soon…no one with magic will have to hide."

"The laws of Camelot are wrong," Arthur agreed, emboldened by his men to speak up, "My father was wrong. But his mistake is deep rooted and far reaching. My wife has magic and if I change the laws too suddenly, with no preparation, the people will cry enchantment. My family will be in danger. I am doing all I can to protect your kin," he promised them, "I am doing all I can to help them escape Camelot, to live among the people so they might be seen as PEOPLE instead of sorcerers. I am trying to help change the minds of the children where their parents will be harder. Change, true change, a change the MEANS something, takes time. It takes thought and planning and preparation. It takes patience and your people, all magic-users who wish to use their magic for good are…too important to me to risk this falling through, to risk this failing. I would see a kingdom where you and your people are welcome as the assets and treasures that they are. I would see them seen as human beings instead of an evil plague. I would see their talents revered and appreciated. I would see them free to be who they are instead of hunted. But I cannot do this without subtlety. It is too important to risk, YOUR lives, the lives and lessons and magic of your people are too important to risk making a mistake. If you wish to pass judgment on me, let it be now, now that you have heard the truth from me for I fear something has been clouding your vision to drive you to this summons."

The Disir were silent, staring at Arthur intently, before the turned, joining hands and looked into the small pool before them. Arthur was quiet, waiting, patient, or trying to be, trying to ignore Merlin and Mordred shifting as they felt the magic around them, even the knights seemed concerned. Leon was looking around, as though expecting an attack.

The first Disir gasped, "How is that possible?" she looked at the other women.

"She should not have such power," the second agreed.

"She has corrupted our waters…poisoned them," the third looked down at the pool, leaning over touch it, sorrow in her voice.

"What…happened?" Merlin called, seeing the women were distressed.

"Arthur Pendragon," the first looked at him, "We have done you a terrible harm."

"We have already sealed your fate in the name of the Goddess," the second told him, sorrow in her voice.

"The future holds much pain and suffering for you now," the third lamented.

"What do you mean?" Arthur frowned.

"The Sorceress Morgause," the first began, "She has poisoned our water source, the source of our visions, of our contact with the Goddess."

"She has created false visions," the second looked at the waters, "Shown us nothing but lies."

"It should not have been possible," the third looked at him in concern, "She has corrupted the word of the Goddess."

"We are sorry," they all said at once.

Arthur lifted his head, realizing what they were saying, "You have already passed your judgment on me, based on the knowledge you believed you had of me," he realized.

"Is there anything you can do to change it?" Merlin shook his head, feeling a pit from in his stomach, it seemed like, as punishment, they had decided to force Camelot to fall.

The women looked at each other, "We may save the kingdom…" the first offered.

"But at a price," the second looked at Arthur, "For the kingdom to rise…it will require a great sacrifice."

Arthur swallowed hard, "I would gladly give my life for my kingdom, for my children, for my family."

"Arthur…" Merlin shook his head, realizing what he was going to do, what he always did, offer his life for the sake of others, knowing what that would mean for his sister…

The Disir let out a breath as he proved them wrong even more, "Then it is done," the third breathed.

"The kingdom of Camelot will rise once more," the Disir decreed, "And magic, in payment, shall see the heart of the kingdom stop."

Arthur swallowed hard and nodded, turning to lead his men out, realizing what it meant. He was going to die, just as Merlin and Morgana had warned him, his bane, whatever it was, would cut him down in battle…and he would die, but the kingdom would live on, he knew, it would live on past him. He took a deep breath as they reached the forest where the horses were, knowing that peace would be even more important than ever, maintaining it. If he could keep the peace going as long as possible, the battle Merlin and Morgana had seen would not occur for a while. He would still have time with his family.

He closed his eyes at that before he turned to look at Merlin and Mordred and his men, "Do not speak a word of this to Mara," he warned them, "I will tell her myself, when the time is right."

A/N: Awww :( Poor Arthur, he's sealed the fate of his kingdom now :'( I don't think Marayna will be happy but...her reaction when she finds out just might surprise you }:)

I feel like this chapter is very short. I think this was the hardest to write and tweak to the changes I've made in the show as a lot of what happened in the episode wouldn't have happened given how Arthur and his knights feel about magic and what they know of it. Arthur would have respected the Disir and I feel like quite a lot of the episode would have been avoided in doing that. It was also a way to look at how different he is and how much more mature in his thoughts on magic :)

I also apologize for the delay, this just isn't my week :( I went to post the chapters and my Doc Manager actually still had the 2 docs in them (for this and DW)...except it ad 0 words listed. Erased everything IN the docs :( I DID have the edited versions saved and went to upload them, and it wouldn't let me upload anything or past it to the Docs that were still there :( I've been trying to paste/upload again every 10 minutes since this morning and it FINALLY allowed it! So I'm posting this now before it can try and delete the chapter again :)

Some notes on reviews...

I almost cried when I saw all of the Docs were gone. I think I just stared and shook my head for like 5 minutes like 'why, why would you do this to me?' :(

We'll see a little more of Will being an awesome big brother ;)

Lol, we'll have to see how many Doctor/Macs there might be ;) My glasses are pretty basic, purple wire ones :) I definitely think you'll find it one day, you are too awesome not to ;)


	9. Switching Places

Switching Places

Marayna was eagerly pulling her brother down the halls of the castle, ignoring the looks she was getting from servant and nobleman alike, already used to it. She'd tried her best to act the role of Queen, as much as she felt she could without giving up who she was. She would never be a prim and proper lady of the court, she hadn't been bred that way nor did she want to be stuffy and stuck up like a few other women she could mention. She wanted to be herself and she strove to keep the strongest aspects of her personality the same. It was a big thing, a very important thing, to her and Merlin that no one see them truly being different than who they always were. They liked the fact that the people saw them as one of their own, as a former peasant and servant. That was what they strove for, to make the people feel comfortable speaking plainly with them and approaching them with concerns just as they had done when they weren't prince or queen.

She wanted the people to see her as just…her. Still the same clumsy servant (though she'd gotten better at NOT tripping over her dresses thanks to Gwen hemming up the fronts of hers just slightly, just enough where she didn't get caught on it) that would mouth off and slap Arthur in the head and trek through manure and scream at the sight of a rat. She still did. Just last week the guards had thought someone was trying to murder the queen, had burst into her bedchambers to see her standing on Arthur's desk, screaming bloody murder at the tiny mouse scurrying across the floor.

She'd had to be carried out of the room she refused to set foot on the ground till the mouse was caught. She knew it was an infinite source of amusement to the people to hear that she'd spent the night sleeping on one of Gaius's work tables because she was so scared to go back into her room till Arthur had told her the mouse was gone, Arthur knowing better than to dare lying about the event just to get her back in the room. But that was fine with her, she liked that the people could laugh at her, she laughed at herself for how she'd overreacted yet she knew that she'd do the same anywhere. Put her in the market and have a mouse scurry out ahead of her and she'd probably jump onto a stall or grab the nearest man (she'd hope it would be Arthur or Merlin just to save from the awkwardness of it) and half climb on top of him to avoid the mouse.

It was funny, she could forgive Will for what he'd done as she now had two lovely children. She wasn't scared of horses despite that one had literally nearly trampled her to death. But she was STILL scared of mice and rats. It made sense though. Arthur had once remarked that she had the ability to see past the surface of things to the true underlying cause behind it. Like with Alice, she'd seen the woman's crime as her attempting to poison Uther, NOT that she had magic or even used magic to do so. When Arthur had tried to strangle her once, she'd seen past it to the fact that Sophia had enchanted him and controlled him to do so. It was the same with the horse, she could look past the fact that the horse had harmed her because she could see that it was the mouse that had spooked it in the first place.

Speaking of horses though, Arthur was very excited because he was very close to deeming William old enough to be able to have riding lessons, at least on a small pony. She'd offered Bartok if ever Arthur needed a bigger horse to train on. Sadly she didn't seem to be able to leave the castle much, not as much as Arthur could or did. It was the queen's duty to remain behind and guard the castle, rule the kingdom, in her husband's absence. And she understood that. There was also the fact that it was for the protection of her children. If one parent was there and another was facing an enemy, if anything happened, they'd still have their one parent and the kingdom would still have its one ruler. She was going along with it…for now though. Biding her time. It was like she'd been told when she'd first been made queen, she would have to pick and choose the times she insisted she go with Arthur and the times she remained behind. To her, the more she remained behind now, the more leverage she'd have to go with him later.

Arthur had surprised her though when she'd offered Bartok, he'd started to talk about Rosaline as well, about how, when she was older…he was thinking he'd want her to use Aurora. The horse was a dear, just as old as Bartok was, and she'd seemed to have developed a special fondness for HER whenever she'd visit the old horse at least once a month. They still had their special bond, they still had the scars Urry had given them. Now that she thought about it, she'd been visiting Aurora each month since she'd run into Urry again. It was like it had spurred her to go back to the start. It began with her being there just to tell the horse that Urry was finally gone for good, not that the horse could understand her, but she still wanted to just say it out loud and Aurora was the only one she could think to do it. Bartok and Aurora were the only horses Arthur trusted to teach his children to ride on.

Thinking on it now, she would have to see if there was a spell or enchantment that would allow someone to communicate with an animal like that, be able to understand them and be understood by them. That and if there was a spell that would allow a magic-user to speak in the mind of a non magic-user. Ooh there were so man y spells she still had yet to try and look up and study and see if they might work. Merlin's flub of a spell that turned him invisible would be quite useful for spying. Being queen and prince, she and Merlin were noticed more, they lacked the spying quality that servants had, no one really noticed them. Though there wasn't much going on in the castle walls that required spying. There were no traitors in their midst, they took care of that a long time ago. Everyone in the castle, save for Sefa, had been loyal to Camelot and were ones they felt didn't need to be sought a replacement for.

Still, that brought her back to her current course of action. She and Merlin were going to attempt a glamor. Like using the crystals to change their appearance into someone else's, but without the crystal part. They had known a few people to use a spell like that, but they wanted to try it themselves. If the crystal usually worn around the neck was ever torn away, it would mean that the enchantment faded and they couldn't risk that. A spell would be more permanent, give less evidence. And a spell wouldn't require a potion. It was much like what Merlin was trying to do with his spell to reveal the invisible, replace a potion Gaius would make with a spell except instead of trying to make one herself, she was searching for other spells already in existence to use instead.

"Come on Merlin!" Marayna dragged him on, "Move faster!"

"Aya we've got all day," he laughed, "It's the first day we've not had any duties or meetings or anything to see to and you want to use it practicing even more."

"That's because this is one of the few days we won't be expected anywhere," she reminded him, "If we flub it and I end up a bird or you end up invisible again, we'll have time to figure out how to reverse it."

Merlin had to nod at that, that was a very good reason to hurry on. The sooner they got it done, the sooner they'd be able to see if it was working or not. So the two of them made their way into Gaius's chambers to see the physician already waiting for them at his work bench. He was grinding something in a pestle and mortar, but set it down when he saw them enter.

"Are you both ready for this?" he asked, "Glamors can be quite tricky."

He'd warned them o f the dangers when Marayna had first brought up the idea. This wasn't like when they'd turned into animals. There wasn't a set time limit on how long the spell would last. If they got it wrong, they could end up permanently looking something else. Or looking deformed. Or end up being an entirely different color and THAT would just shout sorcery to any who saw them.

But they were determined to go through with it and see what came of it.

"We're ready uncle," Marayna nodded.

"Have you got the spell?" Merlin asked as they stepped closer.

Gaius sighed but nodded, turning to grab a small book off a shelf, Marayna had found the book and spell during one of her many, many, many study sessions with Gaius's books, having only discovered the spell a few days prior. As it didn't require a potion as a trigger, all they needed to do was know the language and pronunciation. They both looked at the spell, trying to keep it as fresh in their minds as they could, though it was hard before they looked at each other, trying to picture the person they wanted to try and look like…each other, just to see what would happen…

They took a breath and said the spell, "_Bewrixlan mec into hwæt ic æalá_!"

Before their worlds went black.

~8~

"Rayna?" Marayna heard a voice calling and looked to her said to see it was Gaius, but…he wasn't speaking to her but crouched over by someone else lying on the ground like she was.

"Uncle?" she asked.

Gaius stiffened and looked over at her, shifting to the side enough to reveal he'd been kneeling beside…HER. Or her body at least. Or something that looked like her body.

"Did it work?" she looked at him, only to frown, "Why do I sound like Merlin?" she shook her head, "The spell was meant to make me look like him, not sound like him. And…why am I over here?" she looked around to see that she was on the opposite end of the room than she remembered being.

"It appears the spell worked too well," Gaius remarked, "It didn't change you to look like Merlin. It changed you to BE Merlin."

Marayna blinked, "The spell switched our bodies!?"

"I'm afraid so," Gaius nodded.

Marayna tried to run a hand through her hair, a sort of nervous habit of hers, only to realize that her hair was too short, it was Merlin's hair, "Please tell me there's a counter spell, a reversal, a time limit, anything?"

Gaius could only shake his head sadly, "It doesn't appear to have either."

Marayna let out a breath, "So what do we do?" she looked at him, "I can't go around as Merlin all day nor could he me."

Gaius got up slowly and headed back to the book, reading the incantation carefully, all the information he could see for the spell while Marayna made her way to Merlin's side, checking on him.

"Why have I woken up and he hasn't?" she frowned.

"As much as I hate to say it Rayna, the shock of finding himself a woman might have been too much for his mind to comprehend when the spell took form."

Marayna blinked, "You're telling me he fainted?"

"Perhaps," Gaius smirked "Ah," he nodded, finding something written in the book, "I believe that, as it was the first time casting it, and that Merlin isn't conscious to maintain it, it shouldn't last long."

"Yes but how long is long?" Marayna slowly stood, trying to get sued to how her brother's body worked. It was taller than her by an inch or two and he was a man…it was awkward to move.

"I can't say," Gaius sighed, "It could be minutes to hours."

Marayna began to nod, a thought striking her, "I'll be right back…"

"Be careful Merlin!" Gaius called after her, trying to remind her she was supposed to be Merlin right now as she dashed out of the room.

She ran as quickly as she could through the halls, stopping only when she passed a rather reflective window to see it was truly the oddest thing she'd ever witnessed to look at it and see her brother staring back at her. She could admit she'd poked herself in the face a little, made faces out of it, the most laughable expressions, but that wasn't the main focus. Right now it was getting to Arthur.

She had noticed a…change in him, ever since he'd gone to find some sort of sorcerer, Osgar. He'd found the man alright, and been given a runemark as a token that the Disir had summoned him. All she'd been told was that he'd gone to them to argue the judgment he felt they were about to place on him. He'd managed to change their minds about him, about Camelot, according to Merlin. She had been very relief that they'd gotten to see the Arthur she always knew existed, that they saw him as a great and just king, one who was working towards change.

Still…something about that trip had to be bothering Arthur as he would get very quiet at the end of the day. He'd look out at Camelot, a thoughtful expression on his face and, every time she tried to question him about it, see if he was alright, he'd keep quiet about it. He'd just smile at her or wave her off saying that it wasn't anything important. She knew that the knights knew what it was, that Mordred and Merlin knew as well but all the men had seemed to swear some sort of oath not to speak of it to her.

It was bothering her. Arthur spent more time with their children, with her, which was nice. But the look on his face as he gazed at their children always made her feel like he was wondering how much longer he'd have to be able to do that for. It was like he was expecting the world to end any moment and was cherishing the time he had and…it was scaring her, badly.

She wanted him to just tell her what was going on, but he clammed up. She was sure it was some daft noble reason, like he didn't want to worry her or that he was trying to protect her or that he could handle it himself, but she wanted to know. He wasn't treating Mordred any differently so whatever it was she doubted he knew of the role Mordred played in the vision Merlin and Morgana had seen.

This might be her one and only chance to get the truth out of him as she ran across the castle again. Whatever happened, Merlin knew about it, and if Merlin knew then Arthur might be more inclined to say yes and tell her about what it was he'd discovered or at least speak of it around her if he thought she was Merlin. She just wanted to know what was going on and, if her husband and brother were going to keep it from her, she'd find out in her own way.

Normally she'd let it go, thinking perhaps they were conspiring a surprise for someone, possible one of their friends, or her or Morgana, but they were too serious about it, too solemn. She'd gotten nothing out of the knight either when she tried to talk to them. She should have known though, they were loyal to Arthur first and foremost and she didn't feel right ordering Mordred to tell her in her capacity as High Priestess. She knew though that it really hurt Gwaine to not be able to tell her what was going on with Arthur, they had been good friends for years and, unlike the other knights who met Arthur first before meeting her and Merlin, Gwaine had known her the longest, he felt more loyalty to her than Arthur but apparently the king himself had given the order not to speak of what happened.

Now THAT really did bother her and worry her quite a good deal. If Gwaine, of all people, was pulling a leaf out of Lancelot's book and honoring the order given to him by Arthur…it really had to be terrible news.

She shook her head as she ran through the castle and towards hers and Arthur's chambers. She and Merlin must have been knocked out longer than she thought as the training for the day as over and she knew he'd be taking lunch in their rooms. She stopped before the doors, actually hesitating, not sure what to do, if she should knock as it wasn't HER rooms right now as she was apparently her brother. Which reminded her, being her brother…he wouldn't knock.

So she just barged in, to see Arthur behind his changing screen, his shirt off, holding a fresh white one to change into.

"Ah, Merlin, there you are," Arthur greeted, stepping out and putting the shirt on, "Just the man I was looking for?"

"Oh?" was all she could think to say to that.

Arthur nodded and walked over to her, "I wanted to thank you," he said, clapping her on the shoulder, "For not telling Mara."

"Not telling her what?" Marayna blinked and frowned, hearing flat out that yes, something WAS most certainly being kept from her, and by her own husband.

"Exactly," Arthur joked, before sighing, "About the judgment the Disir have given and the conditions we came to for it."

"Right," Marayna nodded, "What about it?"

Arthur looked at her, "I really do appreciate it Merlin, that you're allowing ME to tell her. I know you and Mara are closer than anything. It can't be easy to keep this from her and I hate that I asked you to do it."

"No, no," Marayna waved it off, "It's no problem," she swallowed hard, "Of course I wouldn't tell Aya about the Disir's judgment, why would I? You told me not to after all."

Arthur eyed him for a moment, "Are you alright Merlin? You're as skittish as a newborn colt."

"Fine!" she said quickly though she was starting to feel quite light-headed, her stomach churning and she knew it had nothing to do with what she'd just learned. She could feel her magic starting to react and silently cursed.

Really? She spent ALL day as a bloody owl, Merlin nearly spent the rest of his life invisible, and this blasted spell was already wearing off?! Well that was just her luck wasn't it? She'd been hoping that it would last quite a while. It would have been amusing if it had. Try and spook the knights, have some fun with Arthur and Morgana and try to see if they'd work out what happened. She didn't doubt they would if the duo tried to kiss her or Merlin and they backed away. She and Merlin both had such different personalities she thought it would be easy to work out what happened. It seemed Arthur was just a little preoccupied though, he hadn't noticed at all.

But, then again, she was actually trying to act like her brother at the moment. Though it seemed her moment was coming to an end.

"Merlin?" Arthur frowned, "Are you ill? You're starting to go a bit green."

"Yes," she nodded, "Yes, I…I just might be. I ought to go see unc…Gaius, about it," she corrected quickly knowing that, while she favored calling Gaius 'uncle,' Merlin tended to call him by his name.

She turned and ran out of the room, dashing down the hall before Arthur could move, racing around a corner and into a small niche in the wall, panting and shaking, feeling her magic truly starting to swirl within her. She closed her eyes, taking deep breaths…and when she opened them…she was lying in a cot in Gaius's chambers, staring at the ceiling.

She let out a soft breath, realizing she and Merlin had switched back and sat up, rubbing her head. She'd wanted the flub of a spell to last longer than it had. She could have gotten something more useful out of Arthur if she'd had more time. But what she HAD found out alarmed her.

Apparently the Disir had given judgment and now she realized how clever Arthur and the others had been in their phrasing of the event. All they'd said was that Arthur had gotten the Disir to change their minds about him, no mention of the judgment. She'd had no cause to think that the Disir had even passed judgment. Gaius explained to her, Lancelot, Gwen, and Morgana what the Disir were, how they operated. He HAD mentioned that they were like a court and passed judgment on others for the Triple Goddess but she'd assumed that the judgment was passed only after the person was before them, not before. It seemed she was wrong.

The Disir had passed judgment on Arthur before they'd changed their minds about him. But what was there to change their minds from? What had they originally thought of him? Nothing good if Arthur had needed to change their thoughts on him. And if they hadn't thought the best of him…what sort of judgment had they passed? What punishment would they give? And what conditions was Arthur talking about?!

She ran a hand through her hair as she considered that, Arthur had thanked Merlin for allowing HIM to tell her what was going on…but he hadn't. What was he waiting for? She knew she couldn't confront him about it or he'd realize what had happened with the spell…he might not ever say anything in front of Merlin again if he wasn't sure it was Merlin or her listening. She couldn't do that to her brother, she couldn't shatter the bond that he had with Arthur just because she wanted to know something…even if it was a rather important something.

She let out a long breath. She was going to have to wait, wasn't she? She was going to have to wait till Arthur told her what had happened no matter how far in the future that might be.

"Oh Arthur…" she murmured to herself, "What have you done?"

A/N: Uh oh, Marayna's suspicious now O.O I think this is the shortest chapter of the entire series lol. I debated whether to make it an entire day or couple days of her and Merlin switching bodies, but I sort of wanted to try the opposite where Marayna has only a few hours to use to her advantage ;)

Lol, I just realized the last chapter was my 100th for the entire series :) ...and that means the story/series will be over in less than 2 weeks! O.O Time flies :)

_Bewrixlan mec into hwæt ic æalá - Change me into what I see._

Some notes on reviews...

Oh Arthur just has the worst luck, I agree :) We'll have to see what Marayna will do. I think it'll depend on when she finds out exactly what happened and what's coming that'll see what she might do ;)

Nope, the Disir is the actual episode from the show. What happens in the canon version is that Arthur essentially and continually insults them and the Old Religion, refusing to accept it back to Camelot. The Disir attack him but Mordred steps in the way and is wounded. Arthur returns to them to plead for Mordred's life and the Disir give him an ultimatum to return magic or seal Camelot/his fate. He refuses (as Merlin urges him to, Merlin thinking Mordred is going to kill him and that saying no to the Disir will mean Mordred dies), and when they return to Camelot, Mordred is healed. Merlin realizes that sealing Arthur's fate meant healing the one who would kill him, and that's Mordred :(

I'm glad you're all caught up and enjoying the series ^-^ I hope you'll like what's to come too :)

Lol that was a good video :) I have mixed feelings about Reading Rainbow, all I can remember of it was really, REALLY disliking the show when I was younger so hearing the song with a show I like made me have mixed feelings about it. But I did think that it was very well done in matching things :)


	10. The Dark Tower

The Dark Tower

Arthur ran into the physician's chambers, having gotten word that Marayna's party had arrived back from their latest trip and having been told there had been an incident. Gwen and Elyan had wanted to visit their father's grave. Normally those who were accused of or proven to have sorcery and executed were not permitted to have a marked grave but an exception had been made for Tom, an exception that Arthur had seen to personally and with subtlety so that Uther would never know. But the point was, Tom had a grave and his children had wanted to visit it. Knowing how Morgana loved t visit her father's grave, Arthur gave Lancelot full freedom to accompany his wife and brother-in-law to the place. What had surprised him had been Marayna wanting to go as well. He knew it was a combination of the guilt she and Merlin still felt about how Tom had died, how they hadn't been able to save him, and a desire to get out of the castle.

Being queen meant she was left to see to the kingdom when he wasn't there. And he could admit he wasn't there quite a bit when he was seeing to sorcerer sightings and out hunting and other things. Marayna had simply gone right up to him, told him she was going with Gwen, and almost threatened him if he tried to stop her. She really just wished to get out of the castle and go on a ride with a friend, and so he'd agreed. It wasn't just Elyan and Lancelot going, it was Percival and Gwaine and Leon as well so if she needed to use her magic she could do so freely. And…to be quite honest, he was looking forward to the quality time he could have with his children. The Disir's judgment was still fresh in his mind and it made every single moment with his children precious. He adored spending as much time with them as he could.

But right now he had to make it to Gaius's chambers as he'd been told that the party had returned with one member missing. His heart pounded in his chest as he ran, throwing the doors open to see that Gaius was tending to some superficial wounds, Morgana healing the more severe, but all the knights and Gwen were still there, with Merlin beside her, his arm around her shoulders.

All the knights and Gwen.

"Where's Mara?" he demanded.

He'd been warned that Morgause had attacked, and he could see that they had, but that the knights appeared to be alright, Gwen seemed shaken, but otherwise fine.

The knights exchanged a troubled look and his eyes narrowed, "Where is she!?"

"I told her to get away," Leon spoke, "She fled…"

Arthur frowned at that, that didn't sound like his wife, Marayna would have stayed and fought, that was the whole reason for allowing those particular knights to go with her, so she could use her magic, "What?"

"I'm sorry sire, it appears she was seized by Morgause."

Arthur stood there, breathing heavily, his hands starting to clench into fists at what he was being told. Morgause had taken his wife, his queen, the mother of his children, "We ride at dawn."

"Arthur…" Merlin began.

But Arthur wasn't finished, "We ride at dawn and we find her, and if Morgause has harmed so much as one hair on her head, I swear to god, magic or no, I will…"

"Arthur sit down before you have a stroke," Gwen called, rolling her eyes.

Arthur froze at that, all the knights plus himself looking over at her for it. That didn't sound like Gwen, that sounded more like…

"Do you really think I left the castle so ill-prepared?" Gwen asked, before she stood and reached for a small belt around her dress. Unfastening it they could see there was something sewn into it, a string with a crystal on the end of it…and, just like that, 'Gwen' disappeared and Marayna was standing in her place.

"…Mara?" Arthur stared at her.

"This was the only way GWEN would le me go with her," Marayna said softly, showing them the disguising crystal that was sewn into her dress belt, "She didn't want to risk anything happening to me so she made me promise that we'd switch images on the ride there and the ride back," she swallowed hard and looked at Lancelot and Elyan who both seemed startled and horrified, "I'm sorry," she told them, "Gwen made me swear not to tell even you."

"So…it's GWEN that Morgause has?" Elyan blinked.

"And she thinks Gwen is you," Lancelot breathed, feeling his heart stop.

Marayna nodded, "As long as Gwen keeps her belt on, Morgause will have no reason to think it's not me," she looked between the two men, "This changes nothing though," she confirmed, before looking at Arthur, "We still ride at dawn."

Arthur nodded, "We do."

~8~

Marayna had insisted on going with them to rescue Gwen, feeling responsible that the girl was taken in the first place. If she'd been quicker with her magic, if she'd reacted quicker, then Gwen would still be there with them. When Morgause and the snakes that she'd used to spook their horses attacked, she had fought back, she'd used magic to stop the snakes, she'd kept the knights safe while she could, kept them from getting struck with poison, but Gwen had run off, because no matter how much she might be trying to play the role of 'being Marayna' she didn't have magic, she couldn't stay and help, and she'd fled as Elyan had told her.

And she'd been too far away for her to protect.

If she'd insisted that she go as herself and not let Gwen sew those crystals into the belts, then SHE would have been taken instead of Gwen. She knew that it was the girl's way of not just protecting her queen but her friend as well, but still…whatever it was that Morgause thought she was doing to the queen she would have better been able to handle instead of Gwen. She would have had magic to fight back, perhaps even face Morgause down once and for all and finish the threat against Camelot. It wasn't fair to force the girl to endure a punishment or a torture devised for someone else merely because, at the time, you possessed the unfortunate appearance of said person.

Morgana had, of course, insisted that she come too, for her healing as they didn't know what state they might find Gwen in. Merlin had volunteered, as sad as he was about leaving his wife and sister to go alone, to stay in the castle this time, to watch over things. He was, technically fourth in line to the throne. William was first, then Rosaline, Morgana and then Merlin. The people knew him, they trusted him, and even Arthur could admit that he trusted the kingdom with Merlin. For how 'terrible' he was as a servant, he was still a man who loved Camelot and its people and they knew he'd do all he could to keep the kingdom running and running well and safely while they were away. And it would give him time to play with William and Rosaline, he adored his niece and nephew.

They'd travelled most of the day, till they reached a small clearing where Percival insisted they stop of the night. Lancelot and Elyan, understandably wished to push on, into the night, knowing that every moment they were spending not moving was another where Gwen was Morgause's prisoner and another moment where the woman might discover she wasn't the queen she'd hoped she'd captured. They'd arrived at the scene where it had all happened, followed the horse Gwen had been riding off to find said horse was tied to a tree and waiting for someone to release it. It appeared she'd been pulled off her saddle but they'd found more tracks after that, one set of horse tracks and one of a person, it appeared Morgause was essentially dragging Gwen behind her.

Unfortunately they weren't fast enough to keep after the tracks and all too soon night had descended on them and, unless they wanted to try searching in the darkness, they had to make camp. Lancelot had asked them to just keep going, to keep heading east, the direction the tracks had gone in…but they couldn't risk losing the trail or wasting time when the sun came up to try and retrace the tracks. Marayna had offered to use magic to light the way, but there was nothing as good as pure daylight to use.

Arthur stood there at the campfire, looking at his men. Gwaine, Percival, and Leon were quietly discussing something as the fire roared, Marayna was sitting by Lancelot trying to comfort the man for the kidnapping of his wife, while Morgana sat near Elyan. He was thankful that Lancelot and Elyan didn't blame Marayna for what was happening to Gwen. They knew she would NEVER ask Gwen to do what she'd done, and that it was likely all Gwen to convince Marayna to agree to this. Gwen was twice as protective and fretful about all of them since Lancelot had stepped through the tear in the worlds and they thought him dead. Getting Lancelot back had taught her never to take anyone for granted, which she realized she'd been doing all those months he'd been gone, she'd distanced herself from them all when she should have been treasuring the moments with them. Now though, she was even more keen to do what she could to protect them all even if it was by normal means and not magic.

Arthur watched as Elyan stood and made his way over to the horses, Morgana giving him a sad look and a shake of the head. He nodded and made his way over to Elyan, "Elyan…"

"If I stayed with her…" Elyan began.

"You had no way of knowing that it was her," Arthur put a hand on Elyan's arm, "Had the girls not disguised themselves, Gwen WOULD have been safe."

"But then the Queen would be in danger," Elyan murmured, looking at Arthur, "There is no winning in a situation like this."

Arthur nodded, he knew he could say that, for him his wife safe was a win, but that would be a horrible thing to say as Gwen was as dear as a sister to him. Asking Elyan to choose between his sister and his queen, or Lancelot to choose between his wife and his queen would be a terrible choice he'd NEVER ask them to make. As terrible as it was to say…he would want them to choose Gwen instead. Because he knew Marayna, she would never forgive herself if Gwen was hurt because they were protecting her. She would never forgive HIM if he'd forced them to pick her over Gwen. And Marayna could defend herself, especially with magic. They'd been expecting bandits to attack, something like that, not Morgause. The Bloodguard and the Catha patrolled the woods, but he supposed there was only so much they could do to keep Morgause away. They were all working so hard to keep the magical threats away from Camelot, sensing a chance in the laws was coming, it was understandable they'd miss something.

"We cannot blame ourselves," Arthur squeezed his shoulder, "Gwen made her choice to protect her Queen."

"She raised me," Elyan whispered, "You wouldn't understand."

Arthur smiled at that, "I actually would," he glanced back at Morgana, who had moved over to Lancelot to speak to him as well, "Morgana took care of me as we were growing up, being older than I at the time, and me without a mother. I understand Elyan, and we WILL get her back."

Elyan looked at him and gave a small nod, Arthur moving his arm around Elyan to lead him back to the group.

~8~

Marayna and Arthur were sitting near the fire, keeping watch, while the knights slept around it, Morgana asleep as well…or she was, until she let out a small scream and jumped awake, startling the others awake as she panted.

"Morgana," Marayna was at her side in an instant, "What is it?"

Morgana took a breath and closed her eyes, shaking her head, "Morgause knows Gwen isn't the queen," she murmured.

"How do you know?" Lancelot frowned.

"I saw it…I saw where she is," Morgana looked at them, "She's being held in the Dark Tower. Morgause was talking to her, was calling her Guinevere, she KNOWS."

"But Gwen was still alive?" Elyan looked at her desperately, "She lives?"

Morgana nodded, "For not but…" she shook her head, "I couldn't see what was wrong, she was crying."

Marayna frowned, "Morgana, you haven't had a dream vision in a while…"

"I know," she agreed, "But it feels like one. It's either a true vision or one Morgause was trying to send to me. I tried scrying for Gwen before but she's blocked by the token," she looked at them, "The only time I can see you is in the dream-visions."

"So it's either a vision or a trap," Lancelot mused.

"Seems like it," Elyan remarked, before glancing at the others, "Does this change anything?"

"Not at all," Arthur determined, looking at his men, "But be warned, the journey has become much more dangerous."

"She's my wife," Lancelot spoke up, "I would brave any danger for her."

"And she's my sister," Elyan agreed, "Nothing will stop me finding Gwen again."

"She's my friend," Percival nodded.

"I've known her all my life," Leon said softly, "She's as dear to me as she is to you Arthur."

Arthur nodded at that when Gwaine spoke up, "She's a maiden in a tower. I was born for this moment."

"She's my best friend Arthur," Morgana told him, "I have to be there to help her like she did me."

"She's Rosaline's godmother," Marayna smiled, thinking on that, William's godparents were Merlin and Morgana, but Rosaline, that had to be Lancelot and Gwen, "I'll not see her harmed. I owe her."

Arthur looked around at them, "Then we ride at dawn for the tower."

~8~

The small group stood on top of a cliff, overlooking a thick forest that was surrounding a dark tower stationed in the middle of it. It truly lived up to its name as the 'Dark Tower' it looked ominous and shadowy and full of evil even from a distance. The forest itself looked thick and dark as well.

"The Dark Tower," Arthur took a breath.

"How do we get to it?" Lancelot wondered.

"Through the impenetrable forest."

"Doesn't lend much hope with a name like that," Marayna remarked, glancing at the men, "Still," she smiled, "Never stopped us before."

Arthur smiled back and spurred his horse on, the others following him down the sides of the cliff and to the edge of the forest. They all looked at each other, the men pulling their swords to try and hack their way through the branches and thorns, Marayna and Morgana using their magic to try and clear the way but unable to make much of a difference as the swords were making as the forest seemed to have a magic of its own to it that was hard to combat, an ancient and deep and dark magic.

It was starting to wear on all of them, their journey through the forest. Gwaine had ripped his cloak on the thorns, Percival had hacked away so much that he could break his sword in half, and they'd lost the path they'd been trying to make. All they had to go on was Arthur's directions of going north, following the ivy that was growing on the trees, the dull leaves indicating the direction. They had been so hopeful that they'd reach the tower by nightfall but nightfall was quickly coming and they appeared no closer to the tower. Morgana and Marayna had tried transporting themselves into the tower, but there was a powerful magic on it, keeping them out, keeping them from transporting themselves anywhere within the forest as well.

When they'd stumbled across a red scrap of fabric and realized it was the hole in Gwaine's cloak, that they'd walked in a circle, they'd realized they had to make camp or they were going to go mad from the effort of spending the whole day trying to get to the tower and realize they were somehow even farther away. So they'd reluctantly made camp for the night.

Marayna though, wasn't able to sleep, much like the night before, her thoughts on Gwen, she truly felt SO guilty about everything. Gwen was trapped with Morgause, doing who knew what to her, and it was all her fault. She should have insisted that they go as they were, she could have handled herself against Morgause. She really had no idea why she'd agreed to it in the first place. The knights all knew that she was a witch, that she had magic, if they were attacked she could use her magic. No, she did, Gwen was thinking more along the lines of if someone was trying to kidnap the queen again. Much like when Urry had seized her, Gwen was thinking along the lines of a physical kidnapping or harmed her. One firm whack to the back of her head and she'd be unconscious, someone could tie her up or drag her off or drug her and she'd be powerless to stop them.

She sighed, rolling over to look at the stars…when she heard something in the distance, like a rustling of the leaves. She blinked and frowned, sitting up to look over, seeing something appeared to be making its way through the grass and leaves, something invisible. She eyed the branches a moment, before she pushed herself up to follow it. If it had meant her harm, it would have attacked her by now. But still, she was on her guard as she followed it into the woods, till a small woman with a wide forehead and wild hair hopped out from the bushes and sat on a log, a tiny woman, about the size of the Goblin.

"Welcome to my realm, Reesa," the woman greeted.

"Who are you supposed to be?" Marayna eyed her.

"Why, I'm Queen Mab. I am the spirit of this place. And all the places that bring despair to men's hearts. Few have ever seen me Reesa, you should count yourself fortunate."

"You're not much of a forest spirit if everything here is wildering," Marayna remarked.

"The forest is one step of the journey."

"Can you tell me how to escape the forest? I need to get to the tower."

"Oh little one…you should not have to ask. Left is right and right is left. And the way behind is the way ahead. It is simple."

Marayna paused at that, "You know…one of my good friends is a Dragon, he's even more cryptic than that at times. I've plenty of experience deciphering riddles, I think I know what to do," she nodded, "Thank you," she added, before turning to go.

"Beware the challenges that lie ahead of you Reesa," Mab called, "IF you reach the Dark Tower."

"What do you mean IF?" Marayna turned around.

Mab smirked, "The tower is not a real place. It is the heart's rest. The mind's deepest fear. The stillness in a humming bird's eye…"

"Enough with the riddle me this talk."

Mab's eyes narrowed at the command, "I shall speak in rhyme then. Heed my words which you concern, for one of you will not return."

"Which one?" Marayna frowned, her mind going to Arthur, it was always Arthur wasn't it? But then again…Morgause had cause to target Morgana as well, being a sister who 'betrayed her' as well as herself, being the High Priestess and the one who held the title of it from her. She likely thought that to kill her would mean taking the position of High Priestess but what Morgause failed to realize was that Rosaline already possessed a faint quality of a High Priestess to her, Benedict sensed it the moment he held the baby girl. One day, Rosaline just might be the next High Priestess.

Mab just gave her a rather evil-looking smirk before she cackled madly and disappeared before Marayna's eyes.

Marayna just sighed and shook her head, leave it to the ancient creatures to be cryptic and dramatic.

~8~

Arthur had NOT been happy to find, the next morning, that she had wandered off and spoken to a magical creature all alone. But it couldn't be helped, for how quick the knights were to react, they were quite heavy sleepers when it came to someone being quiet around them. If she'd been a thief sneaking through their camp, they probably wouldn't have woken. Still, the fact that she now knew which way to go and what directions to head in, it made up for any tension that Arthur felt as they soon found themselves at a plain that led to the Dark Tower.

Honestly, Mab thought she was being so clever with her riddles? Left was right and right was left and so on? It just meant that the closer they tried to get, the farther away the ended up being. They had to go in the opposite directions than they desired to get to the tower. The further away they wanted to be, the closer they'd get. All too soon they were out of the forest and at the plains where they could actually see the tower now. They' pushed on, wanting to get there before dark, and kept going despite blisters and near falls into ditches that were filled with corpses, closer and closer to where the ground was littered with dead bodies until they finally reached the entrance.

Arthur looked at the small group, pulling his sword and giving them a nod before he led the way in, up some stairs. He, Leon, and Lancelot took the lead, Morgana and Marayna between them and Elyan, Percival, and Gwaine.

"This isn't right," Morgana spoke quietly, "This is too easy. Morgause would know we're here…she should be attacking us."

"Unless she wants us to reach somewhere," Arthur agreed.

"Well wherever that is, it might be where Gwen is," Elyan quickly made his way past Arthur, ready to take the lead and get his sister back. He pushed past the king and up to the top of the stairs, rushing off as they tried to follow him, "Arthur!" Elyan suddenly shouted, causing them all to rush down the hall at the top of the step and into another room, seeing him standing there in the middle of it, "Stop!" he cried.

But it was too late, Arthur took a step forward, the stone beneath his foot sinking down, triggering a trap that fired an arrow at Percival's leg, making him cry out in pain and sink to the ground. Morgana rushed to his side, hurrying to get the arrow out of him and heal him a other arrows began to fly around the room, Marayna using her magic to protect them this time.

"Nobody move," Arthur ordered, "Stay exactly where you are."

"What triggered it?" Leon looked around.

"The floor," Marayna nodded at it, seeing the stone was set down into the floor more than the others.

"The stones must react to pressure," Arthur agreed.

"Here," Elyan pulled his sword out, "I will use this," he tossed it to the ground, on a stone before him, triggering the trap that sent an arrow flying before he jumped onto the stone after the arrow had let loose, picking up his sword.

"Everyone, follow me," Arthur called as he and the knights did the same, not willing to risk them running out across the hall and leaving it to his wife to stop all the arrows that might fly at them. He tossed his sword down, all of them slowly making their way across the room after Elyan when he reached the door at the end of the room.

"I'll push on," Elyan yelled as he made it to the door.

"No, Elyan!" Arthur shouted.

"Elyan wait!" Marayna cried, but Elyan shook his head.

"Gwen is my sister," he looked at Arthur meaningfully, knowing he'd understand, even though Lancelot was Gwen's husband…HE was Gwen's brother, it had been his job his entire life to protect her and he'd failed, "I have to do this," he told them, rushing through the door even as they shouted after him.

"Elyan!" Marayna called.

"Hurry," Arthur turned to the others, all of them rushing to get across the room, hoping they wouldn't be too late.

~8~

They had been too late, in the end, a fact which devastated them all. They'd run into the room Elyan had disappeared to only to find the man in Gwen's arms, Gwen looking like herself, unmoving, unbreathing. Morgana had run to his side, trying to heal him but he was already dead. Lancelot had gathered Gwen in his arms when Marayna was forced to tell her that she couldn't bring him back to life without killing someone else. It had broken all their hearts to hear Gwen say that she'd pay the price, to take her life if it meant getting her brother back. Arthur and Leon had found a sword stuck in the shutters of a window and, from what they could gather of what Gwen as murmuring as she sobbed, Morgause had enchanted the sword to attack any who tried to free Gwen. Elyan had managed to trick it, sending it out the window and getting it stuck on the way back, but he'd been wounded before that, fatally.

He'd died in Gwen's arms.

They'd managed to take Gwen back to Camelot, to give Elyan a hero's funeral, sending his body out on a boat, sending a flaming arrow to it as Gwen stood there, in shock, Lancelot's arms around her as she grieved.

That had bothered Marayna and Morgana, that they'd gotten Gwen out. Morgause had held her captive, Morgause had BEEN there…yet they'd not seen her. She'd just LET Gwen leave and hadn't tried to stop them. And the room, the room that Gwen had been held in? There was something dark about it, something deep and evil. But there was nothing in the room that they could see yet Marayna's gaze kept drifting to the ceiling, as had Morgana's, as though they could tell something had been there but the room was clear. It worried them that something much deeper was going on.

It had been too easy for them to get Gwen out of there and they feared it had nothing to do with the fact that Gwen wasn't Marayna. But there was little they could do to find out, Gwen was still in shock, still grieving the loss of her brother, they would just…have to wait and see what happened.

~8~

Later that night, Gwen laid in her bed, staring at the wall across from her, unable to sleep. Every time she closed her eyes, all she could hear was the screaming that had haunted the Tower echoing in her mind. All she saw was Elyan being struck down by the enchanted sword. All she could feel was her brother's life leaving her as he laid in her arms, breathing his last breath, looking up at her, so happy she was alright and her telling him how proud she was and their father would be of him. She blinked after a moment and frowned as she swore she'd heard a voice calling to her. She looked over at Lancelot, sleeping beside her, his arms around her, and carefully pulled herself out of his hold. She grabbed a small cloak and tied it around her, heading out of their quarters, making her way out of the castle and into the woods, following the voice…

Only to stop in a clearing and gasp at what she saw standing before her, the last person she ever thought to see…

"Elyan?"

A/N: Surprise :) This'll actually be a 2-parter ;) I feel like, since it's Morgause and not Morgana and Gwen doesn't have that connection to her and with Lancelot being back and having all her friends for support it'll take a little more to crack Gwen this time around ;) We'll have to wait and see if she breaks and what Morgause did to her in the Tower }:)

I feel like being a mother and the queen Marayna would take more precautions when she's away from the castle and I couldn't see Gwen not doing something to protect her friend :)

Sorry about the delay, family came over for the holiday and I didn't get a chance to edit yesterday :( I've been awake since about 6:30am getting this and DW edited to post ;)

Some notes on reviews...

I can say Marayna will learn about the Disir eventually, but I can't say when, what's going on with Gwen might distract her for the moment ;) But she will SO confront the Disir yup ;)


	11. Whispers in the Night

Whispers in the Night

"Elyan?" Gwen stared at her brother who was standing right before in the dark forest, "Is that you?" she slowly stepped closer to him, lifting her hand as though to touch him, but he stepped back.

"I'm sorry Gwen," Elyan frowned, her heart breaking as she heard his familiar voice, "But I'm not really here."

"But I can SEE you," Gwen shook her head, before she realized, "You're dead," she breathed, as though forcing herself to remember that, "You're a ghost?"

"I am," Elyan nodded.

"How are you here?" she lowered her hand.

"Morgause," he smiled, "She brought me back, so I could talk to you. I'm so sorry I left you Gwen, I never meant to."

"Morgause?" Gwen frowned, starting to look around, not even sure if she was fearful or hopeful that she'd be there, "Morgause brought you back?"

"She's not here Gwen," Elyan told her, "I…I wanted to talk to you myself, without her spying. I needed to warn you Gwen."

"Warn me?" Gwen turned back to him.

"You can't trust them Gwen," Elyan whispered.

"Trust who?"

"Arthur, Merlin, all of them Gwen," Elyan looked at her solemnly, "I'm sorry but…you can't trust them Gwen, they'll hurt you."

"What do you mean?" Gwen shook her head, "They came to rescue me!"

"And now I'm dead Gwen."

"I told you not to fight the sword, to leave me."

"It's not that Gwen," Elyan sighed, "They let me run off ahead, alone. They weren't there to have my back or protect me. They turned their back on the Knight's oath to protect each other. Arthur let me run off alone. Lancelot should have been with me, he should have been right with me to save you but he chose to stay back with Arthur and the others."

"He…he wouldn't do that," Gwen shook his head, speaking for both Arthur and Lancelot. But even as she said it, she could feel doubt creeping into her at what the man was saying. This was her brother, this was Elyan, he would NEVER say that about Arthur and Lancelot if it wasn't true.

"And Marayna," Elyan shook his head, "She had magic, she and Morgana could have easily gotten across the traps ad to your door but they didn't. They stayed there to protect the men instead of going after you. They failed to protect you and me. If it hadn't been for their magic, you never would have been taken in the first place."

"I…I chose to switch places with Marayna though," Gwen whispered.

'she let you do it," Elyan stressed, "She knew the danger you could be in not just from bandits but other magic-users, and she knew you wouldn't have magic to protect yourself with. Sh knew she'd be forced to stay back with the knights and you'd be alone. Gwen," he took a step towards her, "She's the entire reason you were in that position."

Gwen looked down, even though she HAD told Marayna to switch images with her…the girl would have never agreed to do it. She knew that Marayna wouldn't have wanted to do it, she would have fought harder to say no, to refuse it, but she hadn't. She'd allowed herself to disguise each other and she had to know there was a chance that others would target her, that they'd target HER as a result, thinking she was the queen instead. Marayna knew there was a chance that SHE would get hurt instead and she'd allowed it to happen. She'd allowed HER to be harmed for the sake of protecting herself.

She bit her lip,, shaking her head, not wanting to believe that, not wanting to think that it was true, that Marayna could do that, but…the more she considered it, the more she couldn't help but notice the other things that had happened. Morgana, she was a healer, she should have been able to heal Elyan and she'd failed. Marayna, she had the power of life and death, she had access to the cup of life and she'd refused to use it, refused to help Elyan come back. Why? Why would she do that unless she didn't want to see Elyan returned? And Arthur, he'd led the entire thing, HE should have been the one in charge, he never should have allowed Elyan to go off ahead of the others by himself but he had. Merlin had abandoned all of them, along with Mordred, the two of them staying back in Camelot, not lifting a finger to help. And Lancelot…that was the worst of it, her husband should have been in the forefront of all the knights, should have been right there beside Elyan when he reached the room but he hadn't been. He'd chosen to stay back with Arthur instead of coming to protect her and free her and protect her brother.

She closed her eyes and shook her head, not wanting to think like that, it wasn't true, it couldn't be true, they wouldn't do that to her. They wouldn't have been so careless with Elyan's life, they wouldn't have.

Elyan stared at his sister, seeing the emotions and expressions passing through her face, guessing where her thoughts had gone, "Morgause did the same for Arthur once, Gwen," Elyan told her quietly, "She let him see his mother. she tried to warn him about Uther, about what he was like, what he'd done…but Arthur didn't listen. He didn't look into it and Uther…Arthur could have taken the throne before he did. Changed things," Elyan looked at her mournfully, "Don't fall into the same trap Gwen," he pleaded, "Learn the truth for yourself, and, come see me. I can see you one more time, tomorrow night."

Gwen watched, tears in her eyes as Elyan faded away from in front of her, hesitating before looking around at the darkening woods before she took a breath and steeled herself before she turned around and headed back to Camelot.

She had a lot to discover and only a short time to do it in.

~8~

Gwen was walking through the halls of the castle early in the morning, heading to the kitchens with the excuse that she was trying to get her and Lancelot food, breakfast, to share. Well, that was her excuse. Being a former servant, knowing the castle the way she did, having the friends she had, she knew what their schedules were like. She knew that, at about this time each morning, Merlin would be making his way to the kitchens for breakfast for Morgana and himself. And that was the real reason behind her journey to the kitchens. Normally she and Lancelot would have a bit more of a lie in, or she would. The night before a training session with the knights, she was to organize the armory and make sure everything was in order for the next day, not that she'd been expected to do that with what had happened to her.

Morgause had held her in the Dark Tower…with mandrake roots hanging above her. They had started screaming, forcing all her greatest fears to the surface of her mind. Morgause, when she hadn't reacted with magic to stop them, had realized she wasn't Marayna, like she thought she was, but had seemed oddly pleased despite the disappointment. She'd kept her there, offering her water and food at times. She tried to remain strong though, to not listen to her, to ignore the mandrakes, but…she'd felt her resolve starting to crack at the end. She just wanted to be out of the god awful room and, for a moment or two, she considered letting Morgause help her out, trusting the woman, if it meant getting out of there. But always, just before she reached the door, she'd realize what she was doing, what her acceptance of Morgause's help would mean and she'd pull back. Morgause would whisper things to her, things she hadn't wanted to believe about her friends but…hearing Elyan warn her about them…she couldn't help but fear, even slightly, that he was telling the truth…that MORGAUSE had been telling the truth all along and that she was in terrible danger.

It was why she had to find out for herself, the truth behind numerous events in her life. Morgause had tried to tell her what to think, Elyan was giving her time to find out for herself…and that made her think it truly was her brother there, not Morgause in disguise, not a trick, but her brother. She just…she just wanted to know he was still there, that he hadn't been taken from her completely.

"Merlin," she greeted, seeing him coming around a corner.

"Hello Gwen," he offered her a small smile, reaching out to hug her tightly the moment he was near enough, "I'm so sorry Gwen," he looked at her, "I should have been there, I could have helped you I'm sure of it."

Gwen looked at him for that…he should have been, a traitorous part of her mind whispered to her, he really should have been. Damn Camelot if her brother was in danger, which he was in trying to come and get her. Merlin should have been there. He and Marayna had kept Arthur safe all those years, nearly a decade, and they couldn't manage to keep her brother safe for one quest?!

She shook her head at that, "You couldn't have known," she tried to reason, "And Camelot needed a ruler."

"Yeah," Merlin nodded sadly, "Imagine if William were left as king for a day, we'd be eating nothing but sweets."

Gwen gave a small smile at that though her thoughts turned bitter…Elyan would never have a child, he'd never get to be an uncle to her own children, he'd never be able to find love and court and wed. Just on the way back the knights had been joking that the only woman Elyan loved was her, as his sister, and she felt even worse that he wouldn't get to experience that.

"I really am so sorry though Gwen," Merlin repeated, "I couldn't imagine losing Aya."

Gwen looked down at that, he wouldn't have to experience that, would he? The Bloodguard protected her, the Catha protected him, and by extension their families. Both siblings were well protected both in magical terms and mortal. But that wasn't the same for a simple knight was it? He'd never have to know what it was like to lose a sibling, because they had a protection Elyan hadn't had, a protection he SHOULD have had. That was why Morgana and Marayna had gone wasn't it!?

Merlin eyed her a moment, seeing a sort of…bitter look flash through her face, one that looked so out of place on her, "Gwen…are you doing ok?"

She shook her head, looking at him, "I've lost my family."

He nodded slowly, "I can relate a bit," he looked sad, "I lost my father…"

She barely refrained her biting scoff at that. He lost a father he'd known all of 2 days. She had lost her mother as a child, her father whom she'd had all her life, her brother had died in her arms, protecting her…he could NEVER relate to that.

"Me as well," was all she could bring herself to say, taking a small pleasure in how he flinched at that, "Merlin…I have to ask…when my father was ill that time, when the plague struck...why did you heal him?"

"Why wouldn't I?" he frowned.

"there were hundreds of other men that could have been healed, other fathers, why MY father?" that was a thought that had never bothered her in the past, she'd been so grateful that her father was alive and healthy again that it hadn't concerned her. But this time, looking back at it with new eyes…there was something oddly suspicious about it.

"Because you were my friend," he reached out to touch her arm, "I had to help him."

Gwen looked down at that, swallowing hard. He'd HAD to help because he was her friend? That was the worst excuse, there were hundreds of fathers who died and he had picked hers solely because of their friendship, forsaking all the others? And…then she realized something else. That had been one of the first things she'd realized when they told her about their magic, when she'd been tried for their mistakes. Had they healed her father only to gain her trust? To make her accept their magic?

She felt ill…it was suspicious, they told her about their magic just after they healed her father? What other reason could there be? They couldn't have felt guilt. They'd planted evidence against the witchfinder, blamed him for other things and he'd died, they'd felt no guilt then. They'd let others take the blame for their magic, Merlin's BEST FRIEND had died and taken their magic to the grave. They felt no guilt, so it couldn't be that she was about to die for it…no…she realized with a dreadful breath, they'd done it to indebt her to them, to make her feel so grateful to them that she'd do anything…

Even break the law.

She had broken the law numerous times, keeping their magic a secret, helping them hide it, helping them in general…she'd become an accomplice!

"Thank you for your kindness, Merlin," she said, her voice a little too hollow sounding to her ears, but Merlin seemed not to notice, or to think it an affect of Elyan's death.

Merlin gave her a sad smile and squeezed her shoulder again before heading off to get Morgana and himself some breakfast, leaving her to ponder her terrible realization.

~8~

Marayna had been easy to find. She knew that the queen would spend a short while before the training of the knights began to ready William and Rosaline to be presentable to the people. She knew Marayna would claim not to care what her children dressed in, and often made a point to have simpler designs made, not of the richest fabrics that one would expect a prince and princess to dress in but more reasonable fabrics as they were still children and bound to get them dirty at some point in the day. She'd helped the woman, over the years, preparing the children, so she knew that they were most likely in the nursery.

She stepped in, nodding at Benedict as he stood outside the door to the room, knowing he wasn't needed to stand exactly inside the room, just near enough to enter it. She looked over at Marayna as she knelt on the ground, playing with a small cloth unicorn doll that had been made for Rosaline, just as the dragon doll had been made for William. Well, she would know it was just for Rosaline, SHE had made it for the girl. As adorable as the little princess looked, sitting there with her brother beside her, the boy lying on his stomach and playing with small carvings of knights and horses, with his dragon doll right there, she had to speak to Marayna privately.

"Rayna?" she called, catching herself from calling her 'Marayna' instead, not entirely sure why she was being so formal about it.

"Gwen," Marayna looked behind her and stood, making sure the children were entertained before she moved over to Gwen's side, "Are you alright?" she asked her quietly, hugging her tightly, "I'm so sorry."

Gwen nodded, "That's um…actually why I came to see you, could we talk?" she glanced at the children, "Alone?"

Marayna nodded as well, "Of course," she led Gwen out of the room, Benedict stepping in the moment they were out to watch the children as Marayna closed the door behind her. She brought Gwen over to the chest at the end of her bed and sat down, moving Gwen to sit beside her, "What is it?"

Gwen took a deep breath, "I just keep thinking about Elyan," she said, her voice breaking, "About Morgause and that tower and…"

"I know," Marayna nodded, "It always seems like, when terrible things happen that's ALL we can think of."

Gwen nearly shot her a withering look for that remark. As though anything that terrible had ever happened to her!

She winced and shook her head at that, no…no she knew that quite a few bad things had happened to Marayna. Hell the woman used to get injured nearly every other week before she was made Queen. She had been strangled, put in the stocks, nearly died of a sword wound, been erased from time, been erased from memory, nearly burned at the stake, and that was all not counting how she'd been trampled by a horse and nearly been made barren for the rest of her life! She had suffered terribly, she knew, and she knew that Marayna deserved every happiness she now had. It just…her own sadness was too soon, too fresh, and comparing it to anyone else's hurt.

"I just kept thinking he'd wake up," she whispered, "That we could…that you could wake him up," she looked at Marayna, "I know it's too late now, with the funeral, but…back then…are you sure you couldn't have done anything to help him?"

Marayna frowned at the tears in Gwen's eyes, feeling her heart break for the girl, "I'm sorry Gwen, but no," she shook her head, "If I'd have used the Cup of Life…someone else would have died. And there's no telling who, it could have been a criminal half a world away, or it could have been one of the knights, Arthur, one of the children, YOU…I couldn't take that risk."

"You used it once before though," Gwen mumbled, "To save Arthur. And the Druids to save Leon. Was Elyan's life not worth as much as his?"

"His life was worth just as much," Marayna reached out to squeeze Gwen's hand, "But Gwen…using it that time proved to Merlin and I that no one should hold that power. Our mother nearly died because we used the cup, Merlin, Gaius, and I nearly died as well. I had to KILL another human being to right that balance," she shook her head, "Do you or Elyan think you could live with the burden of knowing that you'd taken someone else's life just to live?" she looked at Gwen, "What if it had been Lancelot's life taken instead?"

"Don't ask me to pick between my brother and my husband," Gwen looked at her.

Marayna's frown deepened at the small bite in Gwen's words, "I wasn't, and I couldn't. And THAT'S why I couldn't use the cup, I couldn't make you choose or put the burden on you when the return of Elyan meant a loss of someone else."

"If it had been Merlin that was stabbed," Gwen began, "You'd have used the cup."

"Merlin isn't Elyan," Marayna shook her head, "He would have used his magic to stop the sword."

"So why didn't you?" Gwen looked at her.

"I wasn't there," she reminded her, "You saw us Gwen, we reached you and Elyan too late. If he'd waited we could have all broken you free."

"He never should have been there in the first place," Gwen murmured, before adding, "I told him to wait," when she saw Marayna looking at her oddly, "I just…I can't help but feel that if we'd never disguised ourselves, this wouldn't have happened."

"Elyan still would have come," Marayna shook her head, "In defense of his queen, he would have fought."

"But he wouldn't have been the first one up there," Gwen told her, "Elyan only rushed in because it was me and I was only there because Morgause thought I was you."

"What's done is done Gwen," Marayna told her solemnly, "I can't change the past, I wish I could. I'd give anything to ease your burden, to make it so Elyan was still here…but I can't."

Gwen looked away at that blatant lie. If she'd give anything…she'd have used that cup when she had the chance.

No, Marayna just didn't want her to have her brother back, did she? Why would she? She had her husband, her crown, her children, her brother, all her family alive. And what did SHE have? Lancelot, and that was it. The one other member of her family still alive and Marayna couldn't be bothered to risk the chance that a criminal's life would be taken to bring Elyan back. She didn't even seem to care that the switch was the reason they were in this situation in the first place! She didn't care that HER being in the tower was what led to Elyan's death and that she was in the tower because she'd had the foolish notion that she was helping and protecting a friend.

And now said 'friend' didn't want to return the favor and help HER and bring her brother back.

~8~

Gwen had had to be careful with the next person she wanted to speak to, though she was feeling more and more like she didn't want to speak to any of them any more than she had to at the moment. She'd wanted to speak to Arthur, but she hadn't wanted Lancelot to see or notice her. So she'd waited in the armory for him, pretending that she'd needed the task, the organizing of the weapons to distract her from the loss of her brother. So, when training was over, she'd waited till the other knights deposited their weapons for the day and gave Lancelot a small kiss before he'd headed out with them, waiting until Arthur came in. He was always the last one off the field, making sure all the weapons and knights were accounted for before seeing to himself.

"My Lord," she bowed her head as Arthur handed her his chainmail.

"Guinevere, please, just Arthur," he offered her a small smile.

Gwen nodded and moved to place the swords down on a table…stopping when she noticed a small hammer set up with the other weapons and slowly picked it up, aware that Arthur was watching her. It was the first time in the armory since she'd been taken and she'd nearly forgotten Elyan had one of his favored hammers there as a makeshift weapon. She gently traced it, weighing it in her hands, staring at it sadly.

"I truly am so sorry for your loss Guinevere."

Gwen nearly flinched at that, if someone said they were sorry one more time she was going to scream.

"How did this happen Arthur?" she whispered, turning to look at him, tears in her eyes, "How could this have happened to Elyan? Why him?"

"I don't know," Arthur told her sadly.

"Why was he alone?" she asked, "Why was it only he who made it to my door?"

"He ran ahead."

"And no one stopped him?"

"He couldn't be stopped," Arthur shook his head, "His desire to find you safe was too great. He didn't listen to us calling for him to wait, he pushed on."

"You…did not want to push on as well?" she frowned at that.

"We did," he corrected, "But we had to think of each of our lives, if we died trying to reach you, you would have remained trapped. We were being cautious as the quest to that point had already proved most perilous and trying."

"Will Elyan's knightship be stripped for that?" she looked at him in fear.

"Of course not," Arthur frowned at her, "Why would you think such a thing?"

Gwen swallowed, "At times, it feels as though you forget the people who are not immediately in front of you."

"How so?"

She looked away, "When Lancelot died…there was hardly a mention of him from you. You hardly looked at me or greeted me, barely spoke with me or checked in on me. I felt as though I were an invisible servant again instead of a knight's wife who had just died."

"I feared for your grieving," Arthur told her quietly, "I did not wish to make it any more painful or prolonged by constantly speaking of Lancelot with you. I thought you needed peace and time to yourself to grieve properly. I never meant to give you the impression that I had abandoned you Guinevere."

Gwen swallowed hard at that, he may not have meant it, but that was how it felt. It felt like she wasn't important, that she wasn't looked after. She'd gone right back to being a servant and, while that was what she'd asked for, she'd felt ignored, that she'd been cast away and not thought of. Yes, Arthur had had quite a lot to deal with himself, with his father and becoming king, the wars and other enchantments going on. She'd seen the way Uther had dealt with widowed women whose husbands were knights and she'd expected better from Arthur. Uther merely handed them a bit of coin and offered a small stay in the castle for a short time. Arthur had barely given her that. Yes, he'd given her coin, and he'd secured their home, but…he hadn't been the friend she'd always thought him to be. He didn't come to see her, he didn't speak to her of how she was, he hardly acknowledged her, or so it felt that way.

She looked away and nodded, "I understand," she forced the words out, "I apologize for making assumptions."

Arthur gave her a small bow, "I understand, you are not alone Guinevere," he told her, "You have many friends who have all experienced losses as devastating as this. We are here for you."

Gwen nodded and waited till he left before slamming her hands down on the table, closing her eyes tightly as she tried not to scream in frustration, he'd done it again. Left with no real comfort given, he was just like Uther and she could only imagine how much more he'd become like his father at that rate.

She did NOT want another Uther on the throne.

~8~

Finding Morgana in the market was a little trickier, both because the market was a large place and also because she wasn't exactly trying to find her at the moment, she was almost hoping that she'd miss the noblewoman and her heart wouldn't be broken again. It was like a progression, in a way, to see those closest to her were NOT at all what she thought they were. Merlin had been sweet, he was the prince of Camelot now, one of them, had been a dear friend to her. Marayna had been a bit like a sister, a good friend, now her Queen. Arthur she'd known longer, he was her friend, her king, like a brother to her…and that left Morgana, the woman who was truly like a sister to her, her best friend in the world. If Morgana disappointed her…she was truly terrified of what the last person she had to speak to would say.

"Gwen," Morgana smiled when she caught sight of the woman near a fabric's stall, "I'm so sor…"

"Please don't," she cut in gently, "I've heard it all day and I just…" she felt tears fill her eyes, "I don't want to hear it again, please. Sorry won't bring him back."

Morgana nodded, "I understand."

She doubted it, she doubted it very much that Morgana would understand. There was something bothering her about what Marayna had said, that what happened had happened and that she couldn't change it now. It made her wonder if there was a way to have changed it back then, if…if there was a way Morgana could have gotten a vision, if she could have forced it or if she could have done a fire scrying, just…anything that would have prevented Elyan's death.

But, at the same time, she wasn't sure what she wanted to hear. Yes, there was, but Morgana hadn't done it would infuriate her, make her think that the whole thing could have been avoided but hadn't been. Yes, there was, and Morgana had seen it and it still happened despite her efforts to change it. Yes, there was, and Morgana had done something to change that vision and, as a result, led to Elyan's death. No, there wasn't and what happened would have always happened and there was no hope at all that he would have lived.

She didn't want to think of her brother's death but…if there had been some way for Morgana to warn him, to do something to have changed it and not…she needed to know if the woman had even tried.

"Morgana," she began quietly, "Did you happen to…_see_…anything, before he died?" she asked cautiously, emphasizing the 'see' part so that others would think that she was just asking for the facts of what happened where Morgana would know she was asking about the visions.

"No," Morgana shook her head sadly.

"Did you try?"

"I did," she murmured, "But the tower was very heavily guarded," warded, she meant to say, but she knew Gwen would pick up on that.

"You didn't see anything?" Gwen breathed, feeling her heart starting to drop.

"I had a nightmare about it," was all Morgana could offer, "About where you were, but nothing about Elyan."

Gwen swallowed hard, having a hard time believing that Morgana only saw the tower. Her visions usually always showed someone dying, Arthur usually, so for her to say she hadn't seen anything, it was harder to believe, "Was there nothing else that could have been done for him?" she looked at Morgana pleadingly, "A poultice, a tincture, anything?"

Morgana shook her head slowly, "Nothing. He was already gone when we got there."

Gwen let out a breath at that, she doubted that as well. She'd seen Morgana heal some rather nasty wounds, why would Elyan's have been any different? She'd SEEN it as well, how Morgana had run to Elyan's side and checked his vitals instead of examining the wound, how she'd only seen if Elyan was alive and not tried to heal him. He was still warm in her arms, had only just breathed his last when the others arrived. If Morgana had just healed him, maybe he would have woken up.

She gave Morgana a small nod before she turned to walk away, needing to get out of there. She could feel her anger rising. Morgana should have tried harder to see into the tower, to see what was going to happen to Elyan, she should have done everything she could to find out what would go on inside the tower when they arrived. But she hadn't. She hadn't tried hard enough, she hadn't tried at all, not to heal him, not to see what dangers were ahead. Nothing.

She'd let Elyan die.

~8~

The last person she needed to see was the one she was dreading the most, because this one had nothing to do with Elyan and everything to do with herself. She'd already gleamed enough from the others to realize that they truly didn't care for her. They saw her as an object, a servant, someone they couldn't be bothered to do all they could to help or see happy. To Arthur she was just another knight's wife, to Merlin and Marayna a fellow servant, and to Morgana? The woman claimed she was her best friend, but she knew Morgana probably only felt charity towards her, she'd have healed Elyan if she were truly a best friend. But this time, this last person…this was the man meant to care for her above all others…

Lancelot, her husband.

He was in their room when she'd entered that night, already in their bed, half asleep when she walked over and sat on the edge of the bed, reaching out to gently stroke his forehead and hair, slowly waking him, "Hello," he whispered up to her when he saw her.

"Hello," she replied with a small smile.

"What's wrong?" he asked, seeing her frown and sadness on her face, "I mean, besides…I mean, not besides…I just…"

Gwen gently put a finger on his lips a moment to quiet him, "I'm just…what happened, it's made me think of you."

"Me?" Lancelot eyed her.

She nodded, "You left me too."

"I didn't want to," he told her, reaching out to take her hand, "I had no intentions of doing that. It was the last resort and unfortunately it came to be," he explained, "I would never leave you Gwen if I could help it."

"Neither would Elyan," she murmured, "And you both did," she started to cry, "You both left me and you didn't care…"

"Of course I cared," Lancelot sat up, moving over to hug her, "Gwen, I did it for you. I stepped through that veil because the Dorocha wouldn't have stopped, they would have continued to attack. I couldn't bear the thought of them attacking you as well. I couldn't bear the thought of breaking my promise to you to look out for the others either. I did what I had to do to protect the lives of all who reside in Camelot."

"But what about me?" she whispered, "Surely you knew that stepping into the tear would kill you. Why would you choose to leave me?"

"I never would," he stroked her face, "I never did. I was with you always Gwen, in here," he touched over her heart.

"I would have rather had you with me here," she squeezed his hand, taking it off her heart, "It was agony without you. And it is agony again to know my brother has died for my sake as you had."

"Gwen we love you, Elyan and I more than most, we would gladly give our lives if it means you would live."

"But what sort of life would it be?" she countered, "An empty life, full of pain and misery. You wish me the best and yet you condemn me to that."

"I'm sorry," Lancelot took her hand, "When I did what I did, the fate of the kingdom was at stake."

Gwen fell quiet at that, looking down and then away from him, closing her eyes to try and keep her tears back as he said what she'd feared.

He valued the lives of everyone else above her own.

In the back of her mind she knew that that should be right, that he SHOULD concern himself with the lives and fate of many over her own, but…in her present state of mind, all she could hear was that he didn't value her life or her heart or her suffering at all. He had no concern for her, no care, he didn't think of her and what his actions would mean for her.

She was an afterthought, and a small one at that.

"I understand," she whispered and he pulled her to him to hug her though she stared blankly over his shoulder.

She understood everything perfectly now.

~8~

The moment she was sure that Lancelot was asleep, Gwen rose from her bed, donned her cloak, and made her way into the forest where Elyan had called her to the night before. And there he was, just like then, waiting for her, looking alive and well yet she knew it was only in death that he came to her.

"Have you learned the truth?" he asked her.

She took a breath and nodded, "They've betrayed me, all of them. You were right, I should never have trusted them."

"I'm so sorry Gwen," Elyan looked at her sadly, "I wish I didn't have to warn you of that. I should have realized it while I was alive, protected you better. I never should have abandoned you. If I'd been there, perhaps you wouldn't be in such danger, perhaps father would be alive and…"

"Don't blame yourself," Gwen took a step towards him, "They fooled all of us. Even now," her voice turned bitter, "Even now they fool the kingdom, they're tricking them as they did us."

"I'm just glad you've realized the truth," he whispered, "Before it was too late."

Gwen nodded, "Don't trust them."

"Do you understand now?" a voice called behind her though she didn't spin around, just slowly looked over her shoulder to see Morgause, dressed in black, standing behind her, "Who you _can_ trust?"

Gwen nodded again, "You," she said firmly, "You tried to warn me, to tell me, but I didn't listen," she turned to face Morgause, Elyan behind her, "It's always been you. I realize that now."

Morgause smirked at that, "You and your brother were not one of them. You never would have been," she eyed them, "And they can't have that."

Gwen's eyes narrowed, filling with tears as she glanced at her brother, blaming them for all the hurt she'd felt, all the pain and loss in her life, before she turned back to Morguase, the one who had given her this last chance to see her brother, "You don't know how much I hate them. All of them. They used me. They never cared for me at all. I was a tool to them, a play thing, something to amuse them and be used by them. Never again."

"I'm pleased you have managed to see past their lies, to gleam the real truth," Morgause stepped closer to her, "You have an important part to play in the future. Together we will ensure the destruction of everything that Arthur and his most dear cherish."

And with that, she held out her hand to Gwen, who didn't even hesitate this time to clasp it back.

A/N: I want to apologize for no chapter yesterday :( Holidays and family kept me away from the computer and left me with about 1 hour total the last 2 days to get on till late last night :( I had no time to edit the chapters on Saturday and didn't feel comfortable posting them on Sunday. I had to wait till family left last night to be able to edit the chapters for today lol. To make up for it though, we'll be getting 2(!) chapters of this story today :) So check back in about 6-7 hours where we'll get another chapter up ;)

Poor Gwen :( I feel like this would be something Morgause did, use Elyan's image to trick Gwen. But I also think that she'd have learned from using Ygraine on Arthur and made sure it worked :( She may not have gotten the queen, but she got someone just as close to all of them :( And I think what happened to Gwen would make her more susceptible to seeing her brother and listening to him, to interpret what the others said in a darker light :(

Happy (belated) Holidays to everyone! ;)

No real 'notes on reviews' for the last chapter :)


	12. A Lesson in Vengeance

A Lesson in Vengeance

"What did you do this time Arthur?" Marayna huffed as she entered the physician's chambers to see Merlin, Arthur, Lancelot, and Gwen in there, Morgana standing beside Arthur's side and healing it as Gaius supervised.

"I'll have you know, I did nothing," Arthur stuck his nose up at her, only to wince a moment later when Morgana touched a sore spot on his wound.

Marayna gave him a look and turned to Merlin, "What happened?"

All she knew was that Gwen had planned to visit the small grave they'd made for Elyan and that Lancelot, of course, volunteered to go with her, which led to Arthur going as well as Merlin, mostly because Elyan was one of the respected knights and a dear friend to Arthur and Merlin because she knew her brother felt guilty for not being there to help protect Elyan and save him. The three men had set out with Gwen only a few short hours ago and she'd only just gotten word that the king had returned, injured. She'd been in the middle of meeting with the laundress, the seamstress, and the cook for their typical meetings when she'd gotten word and hadn't known whether to be grateful Arthur had gone and gotten himself injured so she had an excuse to leave (they really were dreadfully boring and if the three women weren't bickering amongst themselves, they were gossiping) or irritated that Arthur had gone and gotten himself injured at all. She settled with grateful for a short moment.

Merlin chuckled, "Bandits attacked," he told her, "Seems they planted a bomb of some sort to spoke the horses, Arthur's threw him and the bandits attacked.

"You're very fortunate, sire," Gaius began as Marayna frowned at that, "A fall like that you could have broken your neck."

"But how did they know?" Marayna asked the question in the back of all their minds, "How did they know you'd be taking that path?"

"The men that attacked us," Arthur looked at Lancelot, "Have they been questioned?"

Lancelot shook his head, "I'm afraid not my Lord, the wounds we dealt were fatal. We were unable to learn anything from them."

"I agree with Aya though," Merlin remarked, "It can't have been a coincidence that they were there."

"But you only just decided to go with Gwen," Morgana frowned at that, "How could they have known."

Gwen, though, was silent, her head bowed, giving the appearance she was feeling guilty about the attack, as they'd only been attacked on route with her and had only gone because of her…but inwardly she was fuming. She knew that the second she suggested she go to Elyan's grave that at the very least, Arthur would go. He always did, the first trip any woman who had a relation to a knight made to the grave, the king accompanied them, as a show of solemnity and respect. She knew if she suggested it, Arthur would come. She'd warned Morgause of the path, of the time she planned to leave, it wasn't all that hard to work out…

But she'd forgotten how suspicious it would be that bandits just happened to pick that path, "Maybe they were waiting in trap for others," Gwen suggested, "Just for anyone who might be going that way."

"Then they got more than they bargained for," Morgana smiled at Merlin and the men for that.

"Sire," Leon called as he and Mordred entered, with their report, "We recovered your saddle from the forest trail. The girth has been unpicked and re-stitched."

"It was designed to break sire," Mordred added.

Arthur stiffened, "Perhaps it wasn't all that much of a coincidence then," he mused, "Someone must have been able to warn the bandits that we would be heading out and they ran ahead to the path we'd chosen."

Gwen tried her best not to shift at that, she had been with Lancelot all morning, there would be no fingers pointed at her that she was the one to tip off the bandits, they had no idea she'd made the plan the night before.

~8~

Marayna frowned as she sat in the Main Hall, on her throne, the court called, as a young boy, Tyr Seward she recalled, stood before Arthur. The poor boy was terrified, clearly, he was pale and shaking and looked utterly bewildered as to why he was there in the first place. She had to admit, she was rather confused as well, she knew the boy. She'd been a servant when he was just starting off as a stablehand. He'd slowly moved his way up to being in charge of the prince's, now king's stables. He was a sweet boy, who worked to support himself and his mother, she couldn't fathom why he'd be there.

"The thread we found at the boy's home matches that used to sabotage your saddle, Sire," Leon stepped forward, handing Arthur a spool of thread to examine.

"May I see it?" Marayna held out a hand and Arthur passed it to her too. She frowned, it was thread, it was generic, basic, common thread. This was probably in half the homes in the kingdom and Leon thought, because the boy had access to the horses, that HE had done it? Hardly! Tyr could barely manage a needle and thread, his mother was a seamstress, if anything he would have had her stitch it and the woman wouldn't have done a shoddy a job as had been done on the saddle. They had no cause to do it in such a manner as to cause harm to the king.

"Who put you up to this Tyr?" Arthur frowned at the boy.

Marayna looked up at him with a near exasperated expression, this is what happened when the king didn't get to know his subjects well enough. She could see one point in logic for Uther's allowing the two of them to marry. Despite everything, she always tried to keep in touch with the people, feeling more comfortable around them than the court, she talked to them, joked with them, walked with them. She checked in on them and visited them. She had seen Tyr many times in the stables, tending to the horses with care. She knew the boy hadn't done this…

Arthur seemed to assume he had.

"No one, no one's put me up to anything Sire," Tyr frowned.

"You're saying you acted alone? Had no help? No accomplice?"

"Arthur, the boy has no idea what he's even been charged with," Marayna noted how the boy just grew more confused.

Tyr nodded, "I don't know anything about these things you're talking about. I've done nothing Sire, save look after your horse and tack like I always do."

"The evidence is staring you in the face," Arthur shook his head, "You can't deny it."

"Sire, I swear on my mother's life..."

"Just give me their name," Arthur insisted, "Why protect them? They can't help you now. Just give me their name."

"I have no name," Tyr pleaded, "There's no name to give."

"Then you leave me no choice," Arthur said gravely, "Though it saddens me greatly to do so I must charge you with…"

"If you say treason Arthur Pendragon I will slap you," Marayna cut in, the court still having mixed reactions to her tongue and cheek when it came to the king. Half seemed amused, trying to cover their snorts of laughter, the other half a bit disturbed she'd speak so brashly to her husband and king.

"Mara…" Arthur turned to him.

But Marayna held up a hand and stood, "Tyr?" she looked at the boy, "Do you have any idea the significance of the thread that they keep going on about?"

"No my Lady," he shook his head.

"Tyr what have I told you about that my lady business?"

Tyr smiled a little, feeling slightly more comfortable, feeling like someone might just believe him, "Not to call you that."

"And what must you call me then?"

"Rayna," he mumbled, hearing the court whispering. They were all aware she insisted on not using titles unless she had to, but it made her roll her eyes that they still whispered about it when someone addressed her informally.

"Good, now have you any idea about the events surrounding a small party the king was a part of on a journey to a grave when he was injured?"

Tyr looked started, "The king was injured!?"

"Mara he's clearly…" Arthur began.

"Let me finish Arthur," Marayna shot him a glare, "Because you're clearing taking a leaf out of your father's lovely book and jumping to conclusions before you've got all the evidence."

"We have the evidence right in your hand," he pointed out.

"No, you gave me a spool of thread," she corrected, "A thread, I might add, that I myself used when I was a servant to mend your leather armor straps. A thread that the cobblers use to stitch their shoes. A thread that the seamstresses use, that the stable hands use, that quite a few people in your kingdom use. NOT just Tyr. If you search Gwen's rooms I'm sure you'd find the exact same thread," she glanced at Gwen a moment, pausing in her small speech when she saw the woman, standing there with Lancelot, turn pale and stiffen, her eyes wide for only a moment before she was back to her calm expression. She shook her head and turned back to Arthur, "Have you ever seen Tyr's handiwork with a thread dear?"

"No," Arthur frowned, having not realized the thread in question was so common.

"Because he doesn't have any," Marayna pointed out, "I've seen Tyr's work when he tries, when desperation calls for him to us a thread. It's laughable," she glanced back at Tyr, "No offense meant."

"None taken," the boy shook his head, if his abysmal work with a needle and thread would prove his innocence she could tarnish the name of it all she wanted.

Marayna nodded and turned back, "The whole reason your father allowed us to wed was because I know the people," she reminded him, stepping up to him, "I know Tyr, he doesn't possess the skill to unbind a saddle and restitch it the way yours was. And, until you can prove to me and convince ME, without a doubt, that it was him, I refuse to allow you to charge him with treason."

"Sire?" Tyr called, making Arthur look at him, "You're my king, sire. I'd never do anything to hurt you. Never."

Arthur considered that a moment, before glancing at his wife, "How do you do that?" he asked her, how did she always manage to stop him doing something foolish?

"Part of my charm," she winked at him, "If you're so concerned it MIGHT be Tyr, place him in a room in the castle with a guard out there but do not put him in the dungeon and charge him with a death sentence like treason without complete proof. As it stands…thread?" she held it up, "If this were the only sort of thread like this in the entire kingdom, I might be swayed that it was him. And even if it wasn't, I KNOW your people Arthur, I would have sworn on our children's lives that it was planted there if that were the case."

Arthur seemed moved by that, by her utter faith that it wasn't Try, for her to swear that on their children's lives, knowing how important they were to her, he couldn't find it in him to argue. And she was right, thread? He was going to base everything on the fact that the thread was the same? Thinking on it, he could recall seeing her mending his boots and pants with a similar thread.

"Tyr Seward," Arthur turned to him, seeing the boy tense and swallow hard, saw the fear in his eyes and felt sick with himself. He did not want to be that sort of king where the people feared he'd make a rash decision. Hell, in the past he'd argued for the lives of magic-users! On fewer evidence than this, he'd argued against his father killing them just at the mention of magic and here he was about to condemn a boy he knew in his heart hadn't done a thing wrong over a piece of string, "You are to be moved to a room on the west wing of the castle, with a guard at the door, until this matter can be resolved and the suspicion placed on you cleared."

Tyr nearly sagged with relief, tears of happiness in his eyes, "Thank you Sire," he bowed his head, allowing a guard to lead him out of the room.

"Do you see them?" Marayna whispered to Arthur, though she caught sight of Gwen sneaking out the side door.

"See who?" Arthur looked at her.

"The court," she murmured, "Look at them, and see how proud they are of you."

Arthur blinked and glanced at the court, feeling a pressure lighten in his chest to see the smiles on the peoples faces, they were pleased he'd not condemned Tyr to treason, that he'd wanted more evidence gathered, that he'd listened to the council of others.

"It's because of you," he turned back to her, "You make me a better man."

Marayna smiled and shrugged, "You were the one who introduced me to Tyr," she reminded him, "He was in your service nearly all his life. He wouldn't do this."

Arthur nodded, knowing she was right, Tyr wouldn't...so who would?

~8~

Merlin and Morgana were in their chambers, discussing what Marayna had told them of the 'trial' of Tyr earlier. They hadn't been a part of it, mostly because the Bloodguard were seeing more and more sightings of Morgause scattered throughout the woods and they'd called Benedict back to try and help them catch her or at least be there until the sightings died down, and they hadn't wanted to leave the children alone. They adored playing with William and Rosaline as well and, to be honest, they'd rather be with the children than in court.

But Marayna had told them all that had happened, the near-sentence included and how Tyr was merely being held in a room instead of the dungeons, "I agree with Aya," Merlin mused, "I can't imagine Tyr wanting Arthur dead, he's a good lad."

Morgana smiled at that, "I can't either. He holds no grudge against Arthur, or even Uther, he's been a dear the entire time. He loves working with the horses, he's SO proud whenever one of his fairs well in a tournament or on a hunt."

"Arthur respected him as well," Merlin nodded, "Always treated him fairly and well."

"Someone else had to be involved," Morgana nodded, "We just need to find out who they are. With Tyr being held and not executed…I fear that they may have purposefully pointed the finger at him. What if they knew the evidence would lead to him."

"And Aya stalling the proceedings would mean they're one step closer to being uncovered," Merlin realized. He stood slowly, "I'm going to speak to Tyr, see if I can't reason with him, see if he might have seen something, anything out of the ordinary about the saddle before all this happened."

Morgana nodded, taking his hand to tug him closer, "Good luck," she whispered, kissing him, knowing that she couldn't go to see Tyr. It was night now, it would be very highly improper for her to be visiting another man's rooms who was not her husband or her brother or her physician. Even though she cared not for propriety and other restraints of the court, she didn't want any aspirations being placed on hers and Merlin's marriage. She knew the fact that she wasn't with child yet had led to quite a few whispers about her and Merlin and their private life, but they didn't know it had largely been her, probably even her magic reacting to her, that had kept them from conceiving. The threat or Morgause being out there was a heavy weight on her mind and the thought of bringing in a child for Morgause to target instead? She couldn't bear it.

But they were trying now, they just had to wait and see.

~8~

Marayna, Arthur, Merlin, and Morgana were regretful as they stood before Gwaine in the physician's chambers two days later.

Merlin had gone to speak to Tyr, had brought him food and managed to get the boy to open up if only slightly. He'd gleamed enough to know that, a few days ago, one of the horses had colic and Tyr had slept in the stables to watch over him, such was his dedication to the king's horses. In doing so, however, he'd spotted the person who had tampered with the saddle. He'd tried to flee and warn the guards but he'd been caught and threatened, they'd threatened his mother's life if he said a word of it. Had literally told him that they'd grab her and cut her throat if he breathed a moment of that night to anyone. He refused to give up who it was though, for fear of his mother. He'd run right to Arthur and Marayna after that to tell them the new information, passing Gwen in the halls on her way to her rooms. Arthur had wanted to go and speak to Tyr right that moment, but William had come down with a small fever that morning and he couldn't bring himself to leave his son's side, not even to speak to Tyr. William was fine, his fever hadn't lasted long, the boy had just caught a small chill running around in the courtyard earlier. But the same could not be said for Tyr.

Tyr was dead, had been murdered in his rooms. The guard outside the door had been knocked out by a concoction of clarywort, a soporific, which allowed the person entrance to the chambers. Tyr hadn't stood a chance against whoever it was. They believed it was the one who had threatened his mother, which would have made him less inclined to fight them back. He'd been stabbed. The worst part was, it had only brought to light the growing fear that the person who had done it was familiar with Camelot, with the guards and the rooms and the halls. They had gotten in and out and hadn't been caught or spotted by anyone. They would have also had to either know that he wasn't being held in the dungeon and that he wasn't believed to be the tamperer or that Arthur was going to talk to him, offer his mother protection so he'd say who the tamperer was. Either way, Tyr was dead and they now had a traitor in their midst.

The patrols had been doubled as a result. If this person had inside knowledge, then no one was safe. Benedict had been recalled from the Bloodguard to stand watch over the children as Arthur and Marayna refused to allow the risk to their children. An insider would have access to them and they were not going to take that chance on their children's lives. The patrol didn't just count for inside the castle, but outside, which was why Gwaine was in the physician's chambers, Morgana tending to his head. He'd been on patrol last night, seen something, seen someone meeting in the woods and tried to get closer, tried to go after them, only to be pulled from his horse and knocked out. He'd been found in the morning by Lancelot and Mordred on the second patrol when he failed to return from his own and there they were, finding out what happened.

"No broken bones, I'm glad to say," Gaius reported.

"Anything else you remember?" Arthur inquired.

"Nothing," Gwaine sighed, "One minute I was pursuing them through the trees. The next I was flat on the ground."

"You're sure it was magic used?" Morgana asked with a frown, knowing that likely meant Morgause was involved.

"Without a doubt. Powerful, too."

"It had to me Morgause," Merlin agreed.

"But why was she there?" Lancelot, who had been there with Gwaine since he'd been brought in, Mordred standing with them, frowned.

"You said there was more than one," Mordred looked at Gwaine who nodded, "She had to have been meeting someone."

"Why would she come so close to the Citadel?" Arthur shook his head.

"Isn't it obvious?" Marayna sighed, running a hand through her hair, "Whoever she was meeting…was IN Camelot, maybe they still are."

Gwaine looked away at that, something Marayna and Merlin noticed.

Arthur nodded, "As I feared as well," he took a breath, "Morgana, Merlin," he looked at them, "See what you can find in the woods. Perhaps there's something the patrol overlooked."

They nodded, getting the meaning of it, perhaps there was something that magic could see instead. Merlin and Morgana headed out, along with Arthur, Lancelot, and Mordred, leaving Marayna and Gaius in the room, "What is it Wen?" Marayna asked, moving to sit on the table beside him, finally being able to shake decorum and sit ON the table like she preferred.

"It's nothing," Gwaine shook his head, "Just a remnant of the concussion Morgause gave me."

Marayna eyed him, "Don't lie to me Wen, it's unbecoming of a drunken ass."

"Stop being such a good judge of my thoughts Ray, it's unbecoming of screeching wench," he chuckled, she really did know him too well to know he was hiding something. He sighed, "For a moment, I thought I caught a glimpse of the second person, the one Morgause was meeting."

"Who was it?"

"I couldn't say," he reached out and tugged a scrap of paper to him, subtly writing on it even as he continued to speak, "It was too dark to make them out."

Marayna looked down, realizing why he was writing it down, if someone was listening, if the person inside the castle that had done all this was eavesdropping, they'd hear him say their name and come after him and her, he was trying to let her know without saying it, "I understand, thanks for trying."

He nodded and looked down, her following his gaze.

Her heart stopped though when she saw what he'd written, unbeknownst to either of them that indeed, that person WAS listening in on the other side of the door.

'Gwen.'

~8~

Merlin and Morgana were walking through the woods, hand in hand, trying to see if they could find anything that the patrols might have missed. Morgana squinted as she spotted a vine growing on a tree, a vine she had never seen growing in those parts of Camelot in all her life spent there. She walked over to it, gently fingering it, "This isn't right," she murmured as Merlin came to join her, "It was Morgause," she told him, "I can feel her magic in it."

"So this was where they met," Merlin mused, looking around, stepping into the middle of the small area and turning in a slow circle, trying to spot anything, "There!" he pointed at a branch and rushed over to it. Clinging to it was a small scrap of fabric that looked like it had been torn off when someone had run off, "It's not much to go on, is it?" he held it up to Morgana to see.

"It is when your best friend is a seamstress," Morgana remarked, taking it, "And when you know a fair deal about gowns and fabrics yourself," she looked at it closely, "It's fair quality, not quite silk, but it would cost a little more than a servant could make…"

"So we can rule out all of them, thank god," Merlin breathed, if they had to examine every single servant and peasant they'd never find the person, "So it's a noblewoman then?"

"Could be," Morgana nodded, "One of the minor ones more likely, even your sister's gowns are made of a little better quality than this…all the other noblewomen would have better, it would have to be a minor Lady."

"What is that?" he squinted, tracing a finger along some sort of stitching, "Some kind of embroidery?"

"Yes," Morgana agreed, "I…I think I know this stitching," she frowned, looking at the color of the dress, a lavender color, the stitching of white, in the shape of flowers...and gasped, realizing whose gown this had come from, "No…" she breathed.

"What is it Gana?" Merlin looked at her in concern.

Morgana's eyes widened as she stared up at Merlin in horror, "This is from Gwen's dress."

Merlin frowned at that and looked back at the scrape, only to realize…he could see it now too! Gwen's favored lavender dress, this would fit with it perfectly, "Whatever Morgause did to her," Merlin swallowed hard, "It must have gotten to Gwen, she's using her to get to Arthur!"

"We need to warn him!" Morgana grabbed his hand and they turned to run back to the castle, the sun was already setting and they could only hope they'd make it there in time. Both of them knew that they couldn't risk using magic to transport themselves or turn into animals, when they were concerned, when their emotions were heightened, it was when they had less control over their magic. They couldn't risk appearing in the wrong place and sparking a cry of sorcery.

They just had to hope they'd get there before anything happened.

~8~

Marayna smiled as she carried Rosaline with her towards her rooms, William walking beside her, holding her hand. They'd gone to see Gwaine. When the boy had found out that his favorite uncle (apart from Merlin) had been hurt or 'gotten an ouch' as the boy liked to say, he'd wanted to go see him and make sure he was ok and give him a gift to make him feel better. The boy was adorable and the fact that he cared about a 'Knight of the 'Other Houses'' made her feel hopeful that he'd grow up to look past station and status and see the skills a person had.

She did refuse to allow the boy out of her sight when he was old enough to go to the tavern, she would enchant Gwaine and William if she had to and bar them from the tavern, she was not going to see her son frequent there like Gwaine used to. The knight HAD gotten better though. He was a fine man and a fine role model for William. He had been the one to get her to realize that not all nobles deserved the respect they desired and she could do with her son learning that early on, respect had to be earned.

William had given him a small clay cup he'd made out of his crafting clays. It couldn't be used for a drink, but it was thoughtful. Even Rosaline had tried to give her uncle a gift, she kept holding up a flower to him and waving it at him till he took it. Then she kept tugging on his hair until he put the flower in it. Which made her giggle and clap and Gwaine proudly wore the flower in his hair the rest of the day.

But now the children were tired and she was looking forward to setting them to bed and then going to sleep herself, cuddling with her husband was her favorite part of the day…besides getting a good hug out of her children.

She opened the door, stepped in, and gasped, seeing Arthur lying on the ground, unconscious, "William," Marayna knelt down, gently placing Rosaline in his arms, "Take your sister into your rooms please, keep her safe."

William didn't need to be asked twice, just rushed into his room and shut the door, his sister cradled in his arms like a precious treasure.

Marayna let out a breath and moved over to Arthur, "Arthur?" she shook him, "Arthur?" she shook him harder…and may or may not have slapped him across the face in an attempt to wake him, "Wake up!"

But when he didn't, when she could hear his breathing growing fainter, she got up and ran to the doors, "GUARDS!" she shouted to them, "Fetch Gaius!"

~8~

Gaius was sitting beside Arthur as he was lying on the bed, Benedict in the chamber with the children, cursing himself and having apologized profusely for having gone to the woods while she was with Gwaine to give an update to the Bloodguard. It was only meant to take not even half an hour which emphasized in their minds that it most certainly was someone inside Camelot that knew them intimately that had done this.

Morgana was beside Gaius, watching him intently as he worked, ready to heal as soon as they knew what was wrong with him. Merlin was beside Marayna, his arm around her shoulder while the knights scoured the castle, trying to find the one responsible, Gwen trying to find out who might have poisoned Arthur. That was all they could think, that he'd been poisoned and she was trying to find who had done it or who had provided the poison. She'd gotten rather eager to leave the room when Merlin and Morgana had arrived, the two of them oddly silent about it. They'd burst into the room, but gone very silent when they saw Lancelot there with Leon, Gwen hurrying to leave. They'd told her silently, in her mind, that they feared it was Gwen, just as she had suspected. She knew that this was tricky, they had a scrap of cloth, they had Gwaine's squinting in the dark, but no other evidence that said it was Gwen…

And they couldn't do that to Lancelot.

Not only because he was their friend, but because they knew that whatever was going on with Gwen…Morgause was behind it. It was as good as an enchantment to them, how she was acting. She didn't act like she was enchanted, she still acted as though she were Gwen, but whatever Morgause had done, it was deeper than normal, affecting her deeper. But it was still magic at work. And now that they knew it was Gwen, they had to watch her.

"All the evidence suggests that the King has been poisoned," Gaius sighed, "Morgana, do you see the signs?"

Morgana nodded, "The sweating, the corruption of the skin, the traces of tincture around the ear."

"Which points to which poison?"

"Henbane."

"So how do we counter it?" Marayna asked.

"The poison is a deadly one," Gaius looked at them, "But," he smiled, "Not so deadly or powerful as Morgana's healing is," he stood and gestured to Morgana to take his place, "You know the spell."

Morgana took a breath and nodded, reaching out to place her hand on Arthur's chest, "_Ic the thurhaele thinu licsar mid thamsundorcraeft thaere ealdan ae!_" she whispered.

Arthur took a deep breath, moving in his sleep, mumbling, "Mara…" under his breath.

Marayna smiled and moved over to her uncle, kissing his cheek for his help, hugging Morgana tightly and whispering a thank you to her, before she sat down on the edge of the bed and took Arthur's hand.

She closed her eyes, knowing what had happened. Gwen had to have heard her and Gwaine talking, had to have heard Arthur tell Merlin and Morgana to search the woods with magic, and she'd panicked. She'd attacked her target and poisoned him when she'd had the chance. When Benedict hadn't been there, she could have easily tampered with his wine as he was changing, waited for him to fall unconscious and then poisoned him. Gaius had smelled another drug in the wine that had been spilled on the ground when Arthur collapsed. She'd forgotten that Morgana was a healer, that she could instantly bring Arthur back to full health and panicked again, running off to try and trace the poison. They hadn't been of sound enough mind to request someone go after her, knowing she was likely meeting with Morgause to report her failure.

She let out a breath and held Arthur's hand tighter, at least panic was good for one thing, Gwen clearly hadn't thought this through, and Arthur was alive because of it.

~8~

Arthur was silent as he sat with Mordred, Morgana, Merlin, Marayna, Gaius, and Gwaine in the physician's chambers as they told him what had happened and who had done it. Only moments before, Gwen had come to him with Lancelot, with 'new evidence' about where the poison had come from. The woman claimed that she'd found vials that had a distinct marks and traced the maker to an apothecary named Sindri. Lancelot had gone to the man and confirmed that he'd sold the poisons in the two vials to Morgause, not knowing that they were meant for the king.

Arthur had nearly been ready to bring the man in, question him before the court, award an honor to Gwen for her efforts…till they'd taken him to Gaius's with only Gwaine and Mordred with them, to tell him that it had been GWEN who had poisoned him, that she had likely been the one to murder Tyr as well. They'd told Gwaine and Mordred as they couldn't bring themselves to tell Lancelot, they didn't want too many knights to know, because if they were all watching Gwen then Lancelot would realize it, and they'd told Mordred as he was both a knight and a magic-user and would be able to help. They were going to have to watch Gwen, see if they could work out what Morgause had done to her and fix it, and try to be more vigilant of her and her efforts.

One thing was for certain…Gwen was not going to go with in twenty feet of the children without one of them there.

A/N: I changed a bit of the beginning as, in the show, it was meant to be Gwen/Arthur's anniversary, but Marayna and Arthur were married on a different day ;) I also felt like the entire speculation about Merlin having poisoned Arthur in the episode wouldn't have happened as he wouldn't be the one handling Arthur's food and that, with Morgana there, she'd heal him quickly enough. I think, if Gwen thought she was about to be found out, she'd panic and attack first without realizing all the flaws in her plan :(

Some notes on reviews...

I think Mab was saying that the closer they try to get to the tower, heading for it, the farther away they'd end up being :) Like if they turn left, they'd find themselves going right instead, if they go north they end up travelling south :)

Oh Gwen will have enormous regret over this definitely ;)

I can't say if Gwen will be stopped or not, we'll have to wait and see }:) I agree, I think her perception of everything is very much off from what Morgause did to her :(


	13. Laying a Trap

Laying a Trap

"What should we do about Gwen?" Merlin asked as he and Morgana laid awake in their bed a few nights later.

Gwen had made an attempt on Arthur's life and, while they wouldn't say it to Arthur for fear of sparking some sort of reaction in Arthur about it, they were afraid she may yet try for Marayna's life as well, given that she was the High Priestess, a title that Morgause sorely sought to have, or even the children as they were the heirs to the throne and the future High Priestess. They were terrified that Morgause would force Gwen to try to kill Arthur's family soon instead of Arthur himself. If she failed to kill Arthur, which they weren't sure why Morgause thought Gwen, of all people, would manage it when so many others had failed, too many times then they knew that Morgause would shift her attention to someone else, someone that was an easier target…

If you counted a target who was being watched every single day by the head of the Bloodguard an EASY target. Benedict was a good man and they knew the children had grown on him. For as stoic and professional he was, he loved those children. William had even started to call him his uncle as well, he saw the man so often. The first time it happened, Merlin swore he saw a tear in the man's eye. Benedict would give his LIFE for those children and he had numerous failsafes in place incase anything happened to him while those who tried to attack went after the children. He had spells that would transport them to the Druids and alert Merlin and Marayna about it. He had toys he given them with wards on it so no one could scry on them and know where they were. He'd placed enchantments on their beds and cots so that a shield would come up if anyone tried to attack them in their sleep. He had thought of quite a lot and they were sure that the children were safe.

But Marayna was a different story, she was out and about, in the markets, in the castle, in the lower towns, everywhere. Yes, she had magic, but they all knew from experience that you couldn't rely on that. And yes, she still wore her boots under her dresses (much to the chagrin and amusement of the court) and her sais were neatly tucked into them. It really was a wonder what trade with other realms did for weaponry, they had one or two other weapons from other countries in their armory, the sais included, which was lovely for Marayna as they were her favored weapon, like a staff was his. She could defend herself magically and physically if she had to, but there were times that not even that could protect you.

They weren't sure even why Morgause was targeting Arthur except for thinking it was because he was King. But if it was just that, if she was trying to come up with some way to clear the throne for someone else…she'd have to kill Arthur, Marayna, and William. The boy was old enough to know who Morgause was and that she was a bad lady so there was no chance that he'd ever be able to be grown as her heir. That left Rosaline but William himself would die to protect his sister even being so young he loved her dearly. They'd noticed that whenever he played knight with Arthur or the others, he would have fun with it most of the time, but the second someone joked that Rosaline was the hostage or the target…William completely focused on defending her, no more fun, a true and serious duel would go down between the three year old and one of the aged knights. William always won.

It was amusing because one time Elyan had bested the little boy (with Arthur's permission) to show that you can't win every time and even Arthur himself lost to others…William had bit him and pointed at him and just told him 'you are not taking my sissy!' and then ran over to where Rosaline was and hugged her protectively.

It was the most adorable thing any of them had seen and it had warmed Marayna and Arthur's hearts to see that the little boy, where some only-children who became siblings were resentful of their younger sibling, William just loved Rosaline.

But even if that were her goal in trying to clear the throne, after killing all of Arthur's family, Morgana would NEVER allow Morgause to put her on the throne, and if Morgause thought they wouldn't fight and kill her for killing their brother and sister and their niece and nephew she was completely barking mad.

There was also the chance though that the target on Arthur was a way to break Marayna. Arthur was the only man she'd ever loved, the father of her children, and if Morgause thought that she could weaken Marayna, crush her, by having Arthur killed…well they knew Marayna well enough to know that Morgause would have made the gravest mistake of her life. Marayna wasn't one of the simpering women who tied her life to her husband's so deeply that she ceased to be who she was and only became known as his wife. She hadn't changed at all from marrying Arthur save she tried to at least show a little decorum when it was important, and she was a little more at ease with not rushing off to battles as she adored her children and wanted to make sure they were safe, as any mother would. But she was still brash and rude and physical. She had no problems interrupting or calling Arthur out, she was every bit as ready to go out there and face down an enemy on her own. Even though she was in Camelot a little more than she may have liked, even that time was spent learning magic and spells to help her later.

If Morgause thought Marayna would break down if Arthur died? She had better run, and fast, because Marayna wouldn't shatter if Arthur died, she would be more resolved, she would hunt Morgause down if it was the last thing she did and probably kill her in the slowest, most painful, most agonizing way she could think of. And then brush off her hands and come back to Camelot and mourn her husband while still being strong enough to care for her children and help William rule wisely.

But they were determined not to see that happen, either event, they were not going to allow Arthur or Marayna or their children to come to harm.

They just had to work out how to stop Gwen and get her back. They didn't know what Morgause had done to her, but they were fairly certain Gwen was somewhat enchanted, still more in control of her actions, but just…it seemed like she'd merely swapped sides and that was unlike Gwen. Even when Lancelot had died, she'd still remained loyal to Camelot. She'd pulled away slightly, understandably, but she'd remained as loyal as ever. Her brother dying shouldn't have caused her to run to Morgause so it had to be some sort of enchantment placed on her.

"I think we need to tell Lancelot," Morgana mused, "He needs to know that something is wrong with Gwen, he deserves to know. She's his wife!"

"Yes, but how do we tell him his wife tried to kill Arthur?" he looked at her.

Morgana sighed, "He wouldn't believe us."

Merlin nodded at that, they'd worked out why Gwen had chosen the time she had to poison Arthur. He and Morgana were in the woods, well MORGANA was in the woods, the Healer, and Gaius hadn't practiced magic in so long he wouldn't have been able to heal Arthur in time. Benedict had gone to the Bloodguard, and Marayna was with Gwaine. She must have thought that the poison would work faster than it had, but Morgana had returned and Arthur had been saved and she'd needed to cast the blame and point the finger at the apothecary that made the poison. As though that would erase the fact that someone had to have administered the poison and was still out there. Arthur hadn't gone after the apothecary though, not when Gaius explained that he had the same poisons in his possession as well as, sometimes, the most potent poisons could be used to cure the most deadly of maladies or create the strongest healing potions.

"We need to catch her in the act," Morgana mused, "We need Lancelot to see her meeting with Morgause."

"But she might not anymore," Merlin murmured, "If she knows that we suspect it's her, which she probably does now, she'll be more inclined to try and not meet with Morgause or communicate in another way."

"Then we have to catch her making an attempt on Arthur's life again?" Morgana frowned, "I don't like that idea."

"Nor me," Merlin agreed, thinking, "What if…we make it so she's the only one with certain information though, if something happens because of it, well…how else would they have discovered it except for Gwen!?"

Morgana blinked and sat up a little, looking at Merlin, "I'm not quite sure I understood that."

Merlin laughed and sat up, "We say that…that Arthur is…going on a hunt," he supplied, "But we tell a handful of people, just so it doesn't look like we're singling out Gwen, a different place he'll be hunting in. We send a small party, or…or we disguise the knights as Arthur with those disguise crystals, and send them to each of those locations and see if anyone attacks him there. If it's the location we told Gwen and Gwen only…"

"Then there's no other way they could have known unless she told them!" Morgana gasped, "Merlin you're a genius!"

He grinned widely, "I know."

"Look at you," Morgana smiled, leaning in closer to him, "I married a genius," she gave him a light kiss.

"Yeah?" he scoffed gently, teasingly, winding his arms around her, "Well I married a goddess."

Morgana blushed at that and leaned in showing him, quite thoroughly, how much she loved him and his sweetness.

~8~

"You want me to walk into a trap?" Arthur blinked at Merlin and Morgana as they stood before Arthur and Marayna as they gathered in his chambers the next morning, Mordred there as well, though he was on the floor, playing with the wooden knights with William, he really loved playing with the boy, while Rosaline was in Arthur's arms, the man burping his daughter after her morning meal, something that seemed so out of place, to see Arthur, the King of Camelot, subjecting himself to such a 'woman's' task as to burp his daughter. But he and Marayna had agreed, no nursemaids for their children, they wanted to raise them and they wanted to be affectionate with them and let them know how much they loved them that they cared for their children themselves.

"No, we want to SET the trap," Merlin corrected.

"It's the only way we can prove to Lancelot that Gwen is the one to watch out for," Morgana agreed.

"Do we want to tell him though?" Marayna frowned, "It would break his heart to know his wife was betraying him like that. He's wanted to be a knight, a knight for Camelot since he was a boy, to find out his wife is working against his kingdom?" she shook her head, "That was one of the reasons we waited so long before Arthur found out about our magic, remember? We didn't want to make him feel like he was betraying his father or his heart by knowing about our magic. It would be the same for Lancelot, even if we asked him to just watch her. He'd feel like he was betraying his wife to shadow her movements, but betraying Camelot to not."

"It may be a chance we have to take," Mordred offered, still a part of the conversation, "Lancelot is the only one closer to Gwen than anyone now that Elyan's passed. He's the only one who would see her and have access to her things without it looking suspicious. He's the only one who could be with her for long periods of time without it looking wrong to the court."

Marayna sighed, "You're right," she nodded at all of them, smiling a bit and rubbing Rosaline's back as she burped, "Perhaps he'd be able to help use keep her from making more attempts."

They were trying to be delicate for the sake of the children, Rosaline was too young to understand, but William wasn't. They hadn't wanted to sour the boy's mind against magic like Uther had done, but they'd made sure that William understood that his 'Aunt Gwen' was unwell, that she wasn't herself and that he needed to always be with someone if Gwen was around, to not go with her until they said she as ok again. He'd asked if she was sick, and they'd said yes, because in a way she was. Neither children fully understood though what had happened to Arthur before. They'd both agreed to say that Arthur ate something bad for him and that he took a small nap till he felt better. William, once (thank you Percival) had eaten so many sweets that he'd had a terrible stomachache, the poor boy hadn't known when to stop and Percival couldn't say no to the boy's innocent face. William had understood enough that it was like that, that food could sometimes hurt you and you just had to try and feel better soon with sleep or some of his 'Uncle Gaius's' nasty potions.

They tried their best to keep their children healthy enough to NEVER need some of those god awful potions.

Arthur turned Rosaline around on his lap so she was sitting there in his arms, "So essentially, we'll tell a handful of 'suspicious' people that could have been the tamperer," they used that instead of poisoner for the children, the one who tampered with his drink, "Different places I'll be spending a few hours hunting. We disguise Percival, Gwaine, Leon, and Mordred as me with your disguise crystals, and send them out to those places to hunt. I go to the one where Gwen would know about. And we see if someone attacks me there."

"Yes," Morgana nodded, "But Merlin would go with you for protection."

"Actually," Merlin began, "Why don't I go with the other knights and Mordred takes my place."

Mordred blinked, "Me?" he pointed to himself.

Marayna smiled, "I think that's a wonderful idea," she nodded, "You're both a knight and a magic-user," she reminded the boy, "You'd be able to keep Arthur safer than just one of us trained in magic."

Mordred straightened, "I will let NO harm befall the king, I swear."

"We know," Morgana nodded, knowing why Merlin had done that. He was offering Mordred the same chance he'd given her, to prove for himself what path he wanted to take. She knew Mordred was trying not to think about the vision and the supposed destiny of his to kill Arthur, but…it was always in the back of his mind and he was always fighting harder, training longer, trying to prove to himself he would NOT kill his king. This chance to protect him would be just what he needed to help ease his mind.

And they trusted him.

~8~

Arthur and Mordred trotted along on their horses though the woods and to the area that they'd told Gwen he'd be hunting in. They'd had to reconsider their plans not to tell Leon or Percival about Gwen when Merlin had come up with this plan, but they'd both been very keen to do whatever they could both to protect their king and help Gwen as they both knew the woman and what she'd done, killing Tyr, poisoning Arthur, it wasn't like her at all. They could understand the delicacy of the situation though, of how they needed proof before telling Lancelot of this so they'd agreed to take on the magic crystals and take Arthur's appearance before they all rode out. They made sure they subtly left the castle without Gwen knowing and didn't put their crystals on till they reached the woods, each of them was laden with a similar crossbow that Arthur would use to hunt so it appeared it was him. They each took a horse from the king's stables so that no one would question it as Arthur had ridden each horse during prior hunts depending on the terrain of that area. They'd even taken a 'knight' with them, so that Arthur wouldn't be the only one riding out with a partner. However, their so-called knights were merely a Druid, a Catha, and one of the Bloodguard in disguise. Merlin had gone with one of the Druids too, just because they didn't want to risk Lancelot discovering it and telling Gwen he was going with Arthur somewhere the woman wasn't knowing of.

Arthur was actually finding himself hoping that his own party would be attacked. He knew that it was entirely likely that Gwen was the only one with knowledge that HE was going in this direction to tell Morgause of, but there was always a chance she'd find out from one of the others they'd told, though they'd made sure to pick people with no contact to Gwen, where they were each going and work out it was a trap. But he was hoping it wouldn't be. He never thought he'd see the day where he was happy that he was entering a trap.

"Everything will be fine sire," Mordred called as he rode beside Arthur, his back straight, his eyes keen and searching the woods, utterly focused, "I will let no harm come to you."

"It's ARTHUR, Mordred," Arthur smiled. It was like night and day with Mordred and Merlin, even though they hadn't been birthed by the same woman, they'd both been raised by her and to see the respectful, dutiful, focused Mordred was a stark comparison to the chatty, cheeky, at-ease Merlin. They both considered themselves brothers in every way but blood over the years Mordred spent with Hunith, it still amused him to see how different both 'brothers' were, "You're as good as my brother now," he added, "I don't force my family to call me sire."

Mordred glanced at him and smiled, feeling once again how insane an idea it could be that he would ever harm this man before him, "Would it be wrong of me to say I hope we are not attacked?"

"Not at all," Arthur sighed, "To be attacked, here, means that it is indeed Guinevere who has fallen prey to Morgause and is our traitor. That is not a burden I would wish to fall upon me to tell Lancelot."

"Gwen is a good person," Mordred agreed, "I have been trying to think of an enchantment or a spell or something that Morgause could have used to make her like this but it is unlike any I've ever heard of."

"I know," Arthur nodded, "Gaius is in talks with the Druids, Catha, and Bloodguard to try and work out what might be affecting her like this," he slowed his horse to a stop and got off, "Now is as good a time as any to make like we are truly hunting."

Mordred got off his horse, taking his sword and a crossbow of his own with him. They were sure that if they didn't at least appear to be hunting, then the bandits or sorcerers or whatever it was that was about to attack them, would know that they were not truly on a hunt but instead heading for a trap. So they crept through the woods, absently trying to hunt game though they both knew their minds were not on the matter at hand. Quite a few deer and even rabbits escaped their traps and their aim.

Arthur sighed and stood after the fifth hour of nothing, "I suppose we should head back now," he mused, not sure if he should feel glad that they hadn't been attacked or concerned about it. It could mean that they were wrong and it wasn't Gwen…or that Gwen had caught wind of it and done nothing.

"The horses are back along the stream," Mordred remarked and they turned to follow the stream.

They'd only made it a few feet when what sounded like a war-cry rang out and bandits raced out past the trees, their weapons drawn and rushing for them. And so Arthur and Mordred attacked, stopping blows and blocking slashes, till they ended up back to back, defending each other.

Mordred blocked a blow and kicked the bandit ahead of him before he shouted out, "Get down!"

Arthur dropped to the ground. Mordred turned around and threw out his hands, his eyes blazing, and threw the bandits attacking Arthur back, into the trees, knocking them out. Arthur quickly turned onto his back and swung out his leg, taking out a bandit that was sneaking up on Mordred and knocking him down, pushing himself to his knees and slamming the hilt of his sword across the man's face to knock him out. He looked up to see a hand in his face and took Mordred's outstretched hand, allowing the man to pull him to his feet. The two of them looked around at the bandits scattered along the ground around them and sighed.

"We need to check in with the others," Mordred looked at Arthur, "See if they were attacked as well or if it was just us."

Arthur nodded, but reached out to stop Mordred as he turned to lead the way, "Mordred," he smiled, "Well done."

Mordred gave a small smile in return and nodded. He wasn't used to using his magic around Arthur just yet. Having been raised among the Druids at first, having felt the execution that took place when he'd been trapped in Camelot, working as a knight, he'd suppressed a lot of his magic over the years, more so now in Camelot than before, but it was still odd for him to imagine doing magic before the king of Camelot, even when said king was immersed in the Old Religion and magic-users as well.

"Thank you," Mordred murmured.

"No," Arthur gripped his arm firmer, "Thank YOU."

Arthur gave him one more look before he turned and headed off, leading the way, the two of them leaving the bandits lying there. Mordred hesitated at the line of trees that would block the bandits from sight and his eyes flashed, vines starting to creep out among the trees and bushes and winding around the men, holding them down should they awaken before they were safely away.

~8~

The report from the other knights and Merlin was grim news indeed. None of them had been attacked by bandits, at all. It was too much of a coincidence that only the party that went to the area Gwen was aware of had been attacked. The forests were wide, yes, and bandits roamed frequently, but for five different parties to be scattered out in it and only the one where Gwen knew of being attacked? That was too much, and so the time had come to speak to Lancelot about his wife.

Lancelot paused when he stepped into the physician's chambers, the favored area of meeting when they all had to be there and talk about magic, to see Percival was standing outside the room, keeping watch, and everyone else, from Arthur to Mordred was inside. Marayna, Merlin, Morgana, Leon, Gwaine, Mordred, Gaius, all of them were there, the King standing there looking rather regretful.

"Sire?" Lancelot began, frowning, "Has something happened?"

"I'm afraid so Lancelot," Arthur nodded, gesturing him in, closer, and Lancelot joined them, sitting at the end of a table while the others joined him, Marayna sitting on top of it, between Merlin and Arthur, "Information has come to our attention of the identity of the one who poisoned me and who murdered Tyr."

"Who is it sire?" Lancelot's eyes widened, "Have they been apprehended?"

"Not as such," Arthur sighed.

"Why not?" he shook his head, "If you know their identity and…"

"Because of who it is," Marayna cut in gently, "And WHY they did it. It makes the situation infinitely more tricky due to their position in Camelot and our attempts to keep magic from focusing in the people's minds."

"Who is it?" Lancelot looked at them, seeing them hesitate, "Who?"

"Lancelot," Morgana reached out to touch his hand, "Who's not here?"

Lancelot blinked and looked around, seeing everyone that was usually there but… "Gwen?" he breathed, before shaking his head, "No, no that…that can't be."

"We're so sorry Lancelot," Merlin called, "But…we have proof."

"What proof?!" Lancelot looked at them, feeling his heart racing at the thought that they truly thought his wife was capable of cold blooded murder, of trying to kill the king! "There was no proof of either the death of Tyr or the poisoning! That's why no one was brought forward!"

"New evidence," Gwaine tried to tell him.

"We organized a plan to try and draw the poisoner out," Leon explained.

"You mean you set a trap?" Lancelot nearly spat the word out, unable to believe that they they'd done such a thing.

"Call it what you want," Gwaine rolled his eyes, "It proved to us it was Gwen."

"How?"

"Arthur went hunting," Morgana began, "But it wasn't just Arthur."

"We all went," Leon added, "All of us, disguised as Arthur, to different areas of the woods, specific areas."

"And we told different people where we'd go," Arthur sighed, "We told Gwen one location and four others different locations…"

"The King and I were attacked," Mordred told him, "The others weren't."

"Gwen was the ONLY one who knew there would be an Arthur in that area," Marayna stated gently, "We're sorry Lancelot, but there's no other way that Morgause or bandits or anyone else would have known to attack that area if Gwen hadn't told them."

"This is ridiculous," Lancelot stood, not willing to believe this, "Gwen could have spoken to someone else after she found out, told them in passing, THEY could have told Morgause or bandits or…or anyone else! It doesn't mean it was Gwen!"

"We told her only just before we left," Arthur shook his head, "She'd not have had time to tell anyone else before organizing the bandits to attack."

"Did YOU know?" Merlin looked at Lancelot, "Did she even tell YOU where Arthur went?"

Lancelot was silent, no, the answer was no. He'd asked her where Arthur had gone, and she'd just said that Arthur had gone hunting and left it at that.

"It wasn't Gwen," he said quietly, looking at them all, "No matter what you may think. It wasn't Gwen, it couldn't have been."

"We think Morgause may have done something to her mate," Gwaine told him solemnly, "When she was in the Dark Tower. It was too easy to get her out, Morgause could have killed her learning she wasn't Ray but she kept her alive. Morgause is a cold blooded and cruel woman, she'd not have hesitated to kill Gwen unless she was of some use."

"She was bait."

"We had no way of knowing if she was still alive," Leon reminded him, "We went anyway. We would have still gone and she could have been dead."

"We need your help Lancelot," Marayna spoke up, "We need your help to make sure she doesn't hurt anyone else."

"She hasn't harmed anyone a first time!" Lancelot insisted, "Gwen would not do this and I will not spy on my wife on some…some…some hearsay and some trap you think you pulled. It wasn't Gwen!"

And with that, Lancelot turned and strode out of the room.

Marayna sighed and ran a hand through her hair, "Well that went well."

"I can't blame him for not believing us," Arthur remarked, "If anyone had told me YOU were plotting against me Mara," he took her hand, "I wouldn't wish to believe it either. Men…don't want to think the worst of their wives, and they will defend them against any attack."

Merlin put his arm around Morgana at that, nodding, he could understand that, even before Morgana had been his wife he'd defended her against all those who thought she'd go down a darker path, and he'd fight harder for her now that she was his, "So what do we do?" he had to ask though.

"I fear the only thing that can be done is to wait and be vigilant," Gaius spoke up, "Morgause and Gwen will not wait too long to make another attempt. Until we know what has happened to Gwen and how to reverse it, until Lancelot sees his wife in action plotting against the crown…that is all we can do."

The small group looked at each other, solemn, this would be a long road ahead of them.

A/N: I'm SO sorry this was late :( I posted it right when I did my DW story, but I guess I left the page before it could fully post and it didn't go through :( I had errands to run and had to meet my sister for lunch and didn't even realize it till I got email alerts from tumblr about it and checked that there was no email alert that the chapter was posted. I posted it as soon as I got to a computer :(

As for the chapter, poor Lancelot to be confronted with that :(

Some notes on reviews...

Arthur's met Kilgharrah yup and spoken to him :) Lol, I love the video :)

I'm not sure if it's sudden lol, the events surrounding Gwen are the ones from the actual show :)

Gwen's under some sort of enchantment, but they won't know what it is for a few more chapters ;) Lol, British is the way to be ;)

There might possibly be an original sequel after this story, but I can't say what it might be. I'll have a note in the last chapter about it and about whether I should do it ;)


	14. The Hollow One

The Hollow One

Marayna and Arthur were snuggling on their bed, enjoying their time alone with each other. The children were asleep, the castle was peaceful, and they could rest after a rather hectic time. A rather…cruel man would be coming to Camelot very shortly and it had taken quite a lot of negotiation to get him considering the visit let along actually coming. But he was one other step they'd need in trying to secure peace throughout the realms and Arthur had worked tirelessly to get the man's agreement to come. Now he was trying to take a much needed rest before having to think of dealing with the man's arrival.

But, as luck would have it, a knock came to the door.

"If we don't answer," Arthur whispered, "Do you think they'll think us asleep and leave?"

Marayna smiled, "Given that the candles are still lit and you're the king…I'd say not. They'd break down the door if you don't answer it."

He sighed but pushed himself up, "How come I'M the king, you said because I was the king. You, my lady," he joked as she rolled on her back and looked at him, "ARE the queen."

"You're the king at all hours," she yawned, "Before dawn I'm not queen."

He laughed and got up, heading for the door as the knock sounded again and opened it to see Leon there, a young boy in his grasp, "Sir Leon?"

"I'm sorry to disturb you sire, but I caught this boy," he tugged the boy forward more, "Sneaking around the castle."

"And you brought him here why?"

Leon merely tugged the boy's sleeve up to reveal a Druid tattoo on his arm.

"Bring him in."

The boy looked utterly terrified to be there, to be caught and outed as a magic-user in front of the King but…he did seem confused as to why he was being brought in and not executed immediately.

"Mara," Arthur called as he moved back to the bed, "If I'm king at ALL hours, YOU are the High Priestess at all hours then. This is your business."

Marayna rolled her eyes but got up and moved over to the boy, "Who are you?" she asked him, stifling another yawn.

The boy looked even more confused, glancing at Leon, who smirked at him, and back, "My name is Daegal."

"Nice to meet you Daegal," she reached out and shook his hand, "I'm not going to ask how you got into the castle, all I want to know is WHY you did. For anyone bearing a Druid tattoo to do so, and to do it without my knowledge…you must be desperate."

The boy nodded, "I am, ma'am," he gave a small bow, "It's my sister. She's sick. She needs a physician."

"Shall I escort him to Gaius?" Leon offered, "Or have her fetched?"

"No," Daegal shook his head, "It would be too late," he looked at Marayna, "She needs help and…and healing, or she will die in the time it would take me to go to her and return. I may not even make it to her in time."

"I'm not a healer," Marayna warned.

"I…I was told there WAS a healer in the castle," Daegal admitted, "I was hoping to find him."

"Her," Marayna corrected.

"Sorry?"

"My sister," Arthur called, his voice muffled by the pillows he was lying on, "Morgana, SHE'S the Healer."

"Will she help?" Daegal looked at them pleadingly, "My sister is only six. She has the sweating sickness. I'm begging you. Please…"

"How far is she?" Marayna asked.

"The Valley of the Fallen Kings."

"More than half a day away."

"She won't last much longer. Please I must be quick."

Marayna sighed and ran a hand through her hair, "Wait at the entrance to the Darkling woods at first light, Morgana will be there," she promised.

Daegal nodded and Leon escorted her out, Marayna walking back to the bed and collapsing on it beside Arthur, closing her eyes to send a mental message to Merlin and Morgana about that and see if they'd even be willing to go, they were.

"It's funny," Arthur said, muffled still.

"What is?" Marayna rolled on her side.

He turned his head to look at her, "How easily I handle talk of magic now," he mused, reaching out to trace her cheek, "When there was a time I would shift and fidget and think of an excuse to leave just to not hear it. Now I just lie here as though you were speaking about different types of polishes."

Marayna smiled, "You have come a very far way sire," she winked at him, at how he grinned for her using 'sire' on him, "If a leader can become so, so might the people."

He nodded, reaching out to wind his arm around her, pulling her closer as the two of them drifted off, so exhausted that they fell right asleep on top of the covers, in their day clothes.

~8~

Morning would find Merlin and Morgana heading for Darkling Wood, Morgana taking a leaf out of Marayna's book and wearing her own black leggings and gray shirt and metal belt, much like she wore when they'd gone to Ealdor to stop the attack on it, it was her travelling clothes. She and Merlin knew this would likely be a journey on the ground as they couldn't turn into birds and a cat and follow Daegal and without knowing where exactly in the Valley they were going they couldn't transport themselves or risk ending up even farther away than their destination.

"Sorry we're late," Merlin called as they neared the woods and spotted a young boy there.

"You must be Daegal," Morgana greeted, taking his hand, "I'm Morgana, and this is my husband Merlin."

"Aya…er, the queen told us that your sister was hurt."

"Aye," Daegal nodded, "She has the sweating sickness."

"Lucky for you," Morgana smiled, "I know just how to help her."

"Thank you my Lady," he bowed his head, "It's good of you to do this."

"I have sworn an oath to myself to help as many sick and injured as I can," Morgana said simply.

"Here," Merlin held out a small bit of bread and cheese, "We brought you some breakfast for the journey, compliments of the king."

Daegal stared at it a moment before taking it, more than a bit stunned they were being so kind to him, "Um…it's this way," he turned to lead them off.

~8~

They'd been walking the better part of the morning, heading through Darkling Wood when Merlin offered Daegal a flask of water, "Here."

Daegal took it and lifted it to his lips to drink, only to gasp in pain, making Morgana stop and turn to him, "What's wrong?"

Daegal showed them his arm, a bit scraped and bruised, "I fell getting into the citadel," he told them.

"Let me see," Morgana stepped over and gently took his arm in her hands.

"It's my sister that needs caring for, not me."

"And I can have this fixed in moments," Morgana remarked, looking at his arm, her eyes flashing moments later.

Daegal watched in awe as the skin smoothed over, the bruises disappearing as his arm healed right before his eyes, "Where'd you learn that?" he breathed.

"Gaius," Morgana offered, "Books, the Druids…wherever I can really."

"What about you?" Merlin asked as they continued on, "Who else in your family has magic."

"There's just my sister left," Daegal looked down, "And she doesn't have magic."

"Your parents?"

"My mother's dead."

"Was she a Druid?" Morgana inquired gently.

Daegal looked away, "Not exactly, she had magic though...Uther killed her for it," he cleared his throat, trying to change the subject by putting his hand on his stomach and pointing to the side, "I tell you, if I catch that fly, I'm going to eat it."

"Ooh don't do that," Morgana grimaced, reaching into her bag and pulling out an apple, "Have this," she offered it to him.

"Do neither of you like them?" the boy frowned.

"They're my favorite actually," Merlin smiled.

"Then why are you giving it to me?" Daegal looked at Morgana, "HE'S your husband…"

"And YOU are my patient, near enough," she laughed, "We've both had a large breakfast, you didn't."

Daegal eyed them a long while, "Why are you being like this? People I've met, nobles especially, they're…not like you. They don't care. I don't matter."

"Don't ever think that," Merlin told him firmly, "We all matter. And for that matter," he joked, "I wasn't born a noble, I was a servant and a peasant who just happened to win the heart of a goddess," he smiled at Morgana, making her blush.

"And I was a ward first, not a princess," Morgana agreed, "I always cared more for the people than my title or station. Even more so now that I know I'm a healer."

Daegal looked down at that, contemplative as he followed them deeper into the woods.

~8~

Marayna stood in her chambers with Arthur, Benedict and another of the Catha, a woman this time, watching the children. They were not going to let their latest guest, Sarrum of Amata anywhere near their children if even one of the rumors about him were true. The man was a brute, cruel, sadistic, and many other things they'd rather not expose their children to. And, with Morgana and Merlin out of the castle, it was two less people to keep an eye on Gwen.

"You're unnaturally quiet Artie," she remarked as she helped him dress, fixing his shirt for him.

"Can you blame me?" he sighed.

"No," she smiled softly at him, "We both know the sort of reputation Sarrum has."

"Even my father feared him. They say he takes joy in _impaling_ men."

"And women, and children, and assassinating his friends. And his enemies! He…"

"You're not helping," Arthur cut in quietly, Camelot was, at best, at a tentative truce with the man.

"There are worse men," she shrugged.

"I doubt it."

She sighed, "Arthur you won't like what I'm about to say but…your father, I count, among the 'worse men.'"

Arthur was silent a long while, not getting angry but not agreeing, "Why?"

She leaned in and kissed him deeply for that, "Look at you," she murmured when she pulled away, draping her arms around his neck, "ASKING first instead of reacting. You're getting much better sire."

"I'm finding it not quite so hard to do that, now," he remarked, winding his arms around her waist, "With children teaching me patience and my lovely wife teaching me consequences…"

"I'm never THAT mean to you," she rolled her eyes playfully, "Unless you really do count me not kissing you as cruel."

"Oh it's a travesty," he agreed with a laugh, starting to sway her side to side as he spoke, "But I meant…you always seemed to bear the burden of when I'd react first instead of listen. I always hurt you the worst and it still breaks my heart to think back on that, on what I've done to you in the past."

"But it's the PAST Arthur," she whispered, "Leave it there."

He nodded, "Now, I believe I asked a question?"

She sighed, "Uther drowned children. Hung, beheaded, burned, tortured others, not even magic-users, but their friends and families and other innocents simply for knowing they had magic. He killed anyone with the barest hint of magic or a magical tie. He didn't give a fair trial, ignored the laws when it called for it, and turned deaf to reason when magic was brought up. Sarrum…he KNOWS how cruel he is, he uses that to his advantage. Uther…he refused to admit what he was doing was mad, he refused to see the damage he was doing and, even when he did…he refused to change. I think it's worse to be THAT set in your own beliefs that you can't see what you're doing is wrong, that you think it just and right to burn a child on a stake. Sarrum he knows what he does is cruel and wrong and disgusting, he acknowledges that and does it anyway, Uther…would deny it and likely did even to his grave. To do all that thinking you're the epitome of right?" she shook her head, "I feared Uther more than I fear Sarrum."

"You truly feared my father more?" he blinked at that.

"Some of it might have to do with the fact he was your father," she added, "I couldn't fight back the way I would against Sarrum if he attacked me. Whether or not he allows magic in his realm…I'd use it and, if I HAD to, I'd stop him whatever way I had to. I couldn't with Uther, because doing that meant hurting YOU. Made it quite a bit more complex and terrifying."

"I'm sorry you had to live like that for so long Mara," he reached up to touch his cheek, "I can promise you, you will NOT have to defend yourself against Sarrum though. If he so much as looks at you the wrong way…I'll kill him."

Marayna laughed, "And there goes your efforts at not reacting first."

"Oh it's not a reaction, it's a decision prior to any action that could spark it," Arthur reasoned, before sighing, "I wouldn't even be asking such a man here if it wasn't necessary. But if the rumors Mordred told us of him are true about Morgause…he was able to hold her, locked up, for two years. I need to know more. How he did it."

"I'll admit I'm not keen to have this alliance take shape," she warned him, "A man like Sarrum and his reputation for any who wrong him, even allies…I'd hate to have to 'avenge' you across the land just to hunt him down."

"You won't," he swore, "But if we're to achieve peace in the five kingdoms, we've got little choice. I don't agree with his regime, but dealing with him may be the only way of achieving our aims."

"Best get him out of the way quickly then," she sighed, "I'd rather have him gone before William gets curious to who the new guests are."

"Then we'd best play host, shouldn't we?" he smiled. They'd gotten word that Sarrum's party was nearing the gates, a little earlier than expected, so they'd rushed to get ready, "Come…"

"One thing first," Marayna tugged him back, "Something I'm quite sure you'd want to see to before we deal with Sarrum."

Arthur gave her a confused look before she turned and moved her hair over her shoulder, revealing her corset was unlaced (she really hated those but it seemed a set part of all her formal gowns unfortunately). Arthur gave a sly grin and stepped over, he'd never tell her but he rather enjoyed this, this thing they had where they helped each other dress instead of relying on a servant. It was nice, to help his wife, to reciprocate instead of take. And he loved lacing up her corsets, she always looked so lovely in those gowns, not that she didn't always look amazing, but it was the thought that HE was able to help her with those dresses that made them FAR more appealing to him.

"Come on," he whispered, placing a kiss on her neck when he finished, "If we don't leave now, we won't be leaving this room at all."

Marayna turned in his arms and gave him a peck, "You and my corsets," she shook her head, "I think the only thing you love more than lacing me up is getting me out of them," she gave him a playful look.

He hummed at that, "Oh I do," he grinned, kissing her once more before tugging her out of the room after him, the two of them, luckily, making it to the steps of the castle, where the knights, Gwen, and Gaius were already waiting, just as Sarrum's party arrived.

"Ready?" Marayna whispered to Arthur as Leon presented them their crowns, turning to put Arthur's on his head as he did hers.

"I suppose we'll find out," he murmured, taking her hand and descending the stairs to greet the man, "We are most grateful to Sarrum of Amata for accepting our invitation and gracing our palace with his presence. We welcome him and his warriors with friendship."

Sarrum walked over to him, clasping his arm in greeting, eyeing him, "The last time I met you, you were ten years old. Uther held a tournament in your honor."

"I fight my own tournaments now," Arthur stated.

"Well, we shall enjoy putting you to the test," Sarrum grinned, before noticing Marayna, "My Queen," he bowed his head.

"Lord Sarrum," she gave a half-curtsy, before gripping Arthur's hand tightly when she felt him tense as Sarrum leered at her, "I'm quite the fighter as well," she spoke amicably, but with a warning to her tone.

He chuckled at that, "I love a woman with a bit of fight in her," Sarrum remarked, glancing at Arthur.

"And fight I did for her," Arthur agreed, waiting till Sarrum passed with his men before whispering to his wife, "Why am I putting up with him again?"

She laughed, patting his arm, "For the sake of the peace Artie, for the sake of the peace."

~8~

By the time Merlin and Morgana reached the Valley of the Fallen Kings, where Daegal claimed his sister was…they were nearly certain that it was a trap. They'd nearly walked into the path of bandits before and sent out a mental call to Daegal about it…but the boy hadn't heard them. And, while it was normal for magic-users to not always be able to hear each other, namely those who taught and learned magic instead of having a natural gift for it, to be marked a Druid as the boy was, meant that he could communicate like they could. Morgana's long talks with the Druids had told her that they did not tattoo any children of their people that did not possess magic, something they'd only started to do when the Purge began and only because it offered those children a chance to live in Camelot, unhunted and unconnected to the Druids if they wished…mostly though the children grew with as strong a sense of belonging to the Druid people as ever and would enter Camelot to try and…not spy, but observe, listen, warn their people when Uther seemed about to go on another rampage.

But they knew that Daegal was not a Druid and the only reason they could think to drag Merlin, with his defensive magic, and Morgana, with her healing magic, away from Camelot…was that there was an attempt on Arthur about to happen. Clearly Gwen and Morgause had learned from the last attempt that, with Morgana there especially, Arthur was safe. They knew they were likely about to find Morgause there waiting for them and, while they weren't sure if she wanted JUST Morgana for her healing, or him as well, they had already come up with a plan to stop her.

"We're here," Daegal called, "She's just the other side of those trees…" he faltered slightly.

"What's wrong?" Merlin asked.

"Nothing. I just hope she's still alive."

Merlin and Morgana looked at each other before slowly approaching the trees, taking each other's hand before they stepped past them only to see no one there. They looked back when Daegal stepped in after them, the looks of disappointment and expectation on their faces.

Daegal winced at that, "I can explain!"

"That you're not a Druid?" Morgana guessed, "We know. And we know that Morgause drove you to do this…"

"Very good," Morgause's voice cut in before Morgana found herself thrown through the air and into a tree, her back hitting it as she crumpled to the ground.

"Gana!" Merlin moved to rush for her, but Morgause, who had stepped past the trees ahead of them , threw him back as well, forcing him to the ground and using her magic to squeeze his throat till he blacked out, not wanting him to die just yet…no, she had a far more interesting method of death for him.

She stepped forward, "You succeeded," she glanced at Daegal, merely tossing him a small pouch full of coins, "Now go. You've served your purpose," she turned and walked over to Morgana, nudging her with her foot onto her back, "You are lucky you are my sister, you may yet be saved," she told her.

"Why are you doing this?" Daegal shook his head, catching the coins.

"Because," she spun around and strode back over to Merlin, "Merlin has twisted my sister's heart and head and, perhaps, without him around to influence her, she'll see the truth that I have been trying to show her," she crouched down by Merlin, smirking, "Oh the agony you feel..." she murmured at him, "You'll be glad when death comes," before pulling out a bottle of black liquid and pouring it down his throat.

"You really going to kill the king?" Daegal guessed as she stood.

"Silence," Morgause snapped at him, "Not a word of this to anyone. You're forgetting," she smirked, holding up the vial, "I still have a few drops left," she wiggled the black substance at him before she turned to go, Daegal collapsing to his knees as the sight of the two lying unmoving before him, not knowing what to do...

When Morgana gasped and rolled onto her side, her hand to her back in pain.

"My Lady!" Daegal ran over to her, helping her up, shocked that she was awake so soon, "I don't understand..."

"Numbing charm," Morgana winced as she stood, "Merlin and I cast them on each other for safety, Morgause has a penchant for throwing people into things...Merlin!" she gasped, rushing over to his side, dropping to her knees as he started to struggle to breathe, small boils starting to form on his skin from the poison, "It's alright," she murmured, "It'll be alright," she held her hands out above him, "_Ic the thurhaele thinu licsar mid thamsundorcraeft thaere ealdan ae!_" she recited, her eyes flashing and the boils started to disappear, his breathing easing.

"Saved by an angel," Merlin smiled at her dazedly, taking her hand.

Morgana just shook her head at him and leaned down to kiss him, thankful he was alright and they'd thought ahead enough to prepare for a trap.

~8~

Marayna ran a hand through her hair for what felt like the hundredth time as she walked through the halls of Camelot the next day. It was just…disgusting, Sarrum was disgusting. That night, at a small banquet for the man, he'd 'entertained' them with stories of his past deeds and Arthur had gotten him to reveal what he'd done with Morgause and how he'd captured her.

Apparently he'd discovered Aithusa and that Morgause was fond of the dragon. He'd captured it and used it as bait to lure Morgause in in an attempt to rescue it. So Morgause had ONE redeeming quality to her…though she suspected the woman would have more used Aithusa to attack Camelot than to truly care for it. But whatever the case, she'd gone to rescue the Dragon and Sarrum used that to his advantage, knowing Morgause wouldn't use magic against him while he held Aithusa's life in his hands. Morgause and Aithusa had escaped, obviously, but she now knew what had happened to the poor baby Dragon. It (and Morgause) had been kept in a small well, a pit, from the time it was small and, as it grew, the pit was too small for it and it crippled Aithusa, twisted its poor bones. It had sickened her, and apparently Gwen who had been listening with Lancelot and a few other knights, so much that she'd had to leave. Gwen had gone with her to 'attend the queen' or that was the excuse she'd given Sarrum, but in the hall SHE had told Gwen to just go home and rest as the story was just terrible.

It had been a ploy on her end as she'd seen Gwen sneak off in the middle of the night. While she couldn't follow, she at least knew that Gwen was seeing Morgause in the woods still, actually and physically meeting her.

It had only gotten worse though. That morning, Arthur had fought one of Sarrum's men in a small mock-duel, and lost, the man nearly killing him till he stopped at the last second. Arthur seemed pleased he'd been bested, knowing he'd lasted as long as he had against Sarrum's men, the best fighters in the realm truly, had him in high spirits. And, he'd later confessed to her, he may not have been paying the most attention as he tried to learn all he could about the man's fighting technique to come up with a way to best counter it in the future. But she'd seen Gwen smile when she saw Arthur nearly die, and not a pleased sort of grin that it nearly happened, but more one of an idea striking her.

She'd been careful to shadow Gwen as much as she could but she'd had a council meeting and now she was trying to track the woman down again.

She nearly stepped around a corner…when she heard Gwen speaking on the other side of it and paused, listening.

"…should have let him die," Gwen was saying, a bit of venom in her voice.

"Must have misheard you," she could hear Sarrum respond.

"I don't think so."

"You're not happy with your king?"

Gwen scoffed, "I'd be happy if he died tomorrow. If someone can make that happen, I would ensure that they were richly rewarded."

"And how would you manage that?"

"I've covered attempts on Arthur's life before," Gwen replied with a long breath, "I can make the assassin seem like the one who found and killed the assassin, a great reward would be bound to come from that."

"I'm not sure I believe you."

"Well then, meet me in the Hall of Ceremonies later tonight," Gwen offered, knowing that there were hardly any guards posted outside that room when not in use, which it wasn't, "We can speak openly there."

Marayna let out a breath as Gwen walked off, Sarrum moving after her a few moments later.

"I'm going to kill Morgause," she muttered to herself.

~8~

Daegal looked at Merlin and Morgana as they trekked through the woods, the two magic-users ahead of him and silent. He wasn't sure if they were talking in their heads as he'd heard magic-users could or if they were just that angry and disappointed in him that they couldn't speak, "I did not know what Morgause intended," he told them, but they were silent, "She offered me money. You've seen what it's like…"

"Daegal," Morgana turned to him, "Do you know what Morgause's plan is?"

"No," he replied honestly, "I met the Lady Morgause only once."

"Anything at all that you know of what she's planning," Merlin offered, "Anything," he glanced at Morgana and back to the boy, "Do you know if she's going to try and kill the king?"

"I do," Daegal nodded, "I asked her and she got very defensive…"

"We have to go," Merlin turned to Morgana, taking her hand as they rushed off, "We need to warn Arthur or get close enough to talk to Aya before it's too late."

They ran through the woods as quickly as they could, Daegal following them, only to stop short when they realized they'd run right into the camp of the bandits from earlier.

"Go," Morgana tried to push Daegal back as the bandits grinned and stood.

"No," the boy shook his head.

"We can look after ourselves Daegal," Merlin insisted.

"Go," Morgana pushed him on, "Get to safety."

Merlin stepped forward as the bandits tried to surround them, "If you value your lives, you won't take another step."

"You," one of the bandits pointed his sword at Merlin's chest, "Empty your pockets."

"Last chance," Merlin warned as Morgana stepped back subtly, moving Daegal who had refused to run behind her.

"You don't even have a sword," the bandit sneered.

Merlin smirked, "I don't need one," he threw out his hands, his eyes flashing and the bandit was thrown backwards, the others fleeing at the sight of magic.

"You are brilliant," Morgana moved over to Merlin, kissing his cheek, "Very dashing."

He grinned, "Let's go," he took her hand and they rushed off again, they could have used magic to get to Camelot, yes, but with all the guards in place due to Sarrum's arrival…they couldn't risk someone seeing them, so they had to go on foot, both of them determined NOT to be late like last time.

~8~

Marayna was tense as she stood with Arthur in the Main Hall, Sarrum and his men striding towards the round table where the treaty was to be signed. She hadn't been able to follow Gwen to Sarrum's meeting the night before, having been detained by servant after servant asking her about decorations for the Main Hall and, by the time she'd gotten out, she'd seen Gwen and Lancelot walking down the halls, arm in arm. Lancelot while cordial was not his usual warm self to all of them after their 'accusations' against his wife. She was hoping that, at the worst instance, they could get Gwen back without Lancelot needing to be a part of it, that way Gwen would be safe and Lancelot truly wouldn't have to be confronted with what she'd done and was doing.

The problem was…now she had no idea how Sarrum meant to kill Arthur. She could tell from how Gwen had spoken to him that she was baiting the man, luring him into killing Arthur in a bid for the throne. And, as she was standing right beside him, whatever assassination attempt was made at him would follow to her close after. She'd warned Arthur and Benedict about it though, the knights as well to be on look out. Benedict was ready to transport himself out of the castle and to the Druids with the children the moment the warning bells went off or he felt her death, whichever came first. It appeared that the Bloodguard, being bound to the High Priestess, were able to sense when she died.

A bit morbid that, and creepy, but useful.

She frowned as she saw Sarrum starting to slow in his proceedings, leaning forward slowly and carefully, his eyes fixed upwards at the balcony behind her and Arthur. She could feel him stiffen beside her and knew he'd worked out what she had, that there must be some sort of assassin with knives or a crossbow in the balcony ready to fire into their backs.

'_Aya!_' she heard Merlin call in her mind and nearly sagged in relief, '_Don't look alarmed, but there's a man in the balcony with a crossbow,_' he warned, '_Gana and I will stop him._'

She reached out and took Arthur's hand, a show of 'support and union' for the treaty, of joy, but really she patted his hand with her free one as well, reassuring him and relaxing beside him, making him glance at her a moment before he started to smile. The only reason she'd relax was if the threat was being dealt with. She glanced at Gwen, standing with Lancelot and the knights, to see her shifting, almost in anticipation, but given how her gaze flickered to the balcony as well…it was not the good sort.

A moment later, her gaze was pulled back when Sarrum himself gave a gasp and fell backwards, an arrow in his chest.

"Leon!" Arthur shouted immediately, pointing at the balcony and he and a few knights rushed out to investigate as Gaius ran over to Sarrum to check on him.

Marayna kept her gaze on Gwen instantly after Sarrum had fallen, seeing her actually looking upset that the assassination had failed.

~8~

Daegal had nearly died foiling the assassination attempt. He'd gotten a dagger to him, but Morgana had been able to heal it, it was small enough, if a damaging wound, but he was fine. The other knights had found one of Sarrum's men in the balcony with the crossbow and, while a handful knew the truth of what happened, Sarrum's men were left to believe it was a plot against their leader by one of their own. Luckily…Sarrum had died just after signing the degree and treaty, peace was established as his men vowed to uphold the last wish of their leader.

That night would find Arthur in the doorway of his children's nursery, leaning on the doorframe, watching the two slumbering, William on his little bed, turned towards where Rosaline was sleeping in her cot, the little boy always seeming to know where his sister was. It warmed his heart and tugged at it at the same time. His children and his wife were his greatest treasures and someone, a friend who was corrupted by the evils of magic (as opposed to the good of magic) was trying to kill him and take him away from his family.

He looked over his shoulder when he felt Marayna wrap her arms around his waist from behind, resting her chin on his shoulder, "What is it?" she asked him quietly.

"Morgause expanded her attack," he remarked, "She targeted Morgana and Merlin to try and get a clear shot at me," he sighed, leaning his head to rest his forehead to hers, "I fear for who she may target next. If she dared harm you or the children…"

"If she comes after me she better have a better plan than to use Gwen, I'd not trust a thing she does or a word she says and there is NO way she's getting near our children," she reassured him.

He closed his eyes a moment, "We need to stop her," he whispered, both Morgause and Gwen, whatever it was she'd done to their friend.

"I know," Marayna closed her eyes as well, "And we will," she promised, "We will."

If it was the last thing they did, they would see Morgause stopped and Gwen freed.

A/N: Apologies :( This is shaping up to be a bad fortnight for me with internet and family issues and updating :( I set my alarm each night and I hit PM instead of AM :( Stupid move on my part :( I won't let it happen again though ;)

As for this chapter...poor everyone right? :( Morgause is really causing problems isn't she? And we've only just started }:) Let's just say...things will hit MUCH closer to home in the next chapter }:D

Also, three small things, just because I've realized they get asked A LOT and it might help with any confusion lol.

1. Information about the dates I'll post a story for 2014 is on my tumblr's 'Upcoming Stories' page. The first post.  
2. I have a list on my FF profile with all the stories I'm planning to write (so far) if you're curious if I'm considering a story in a certain show/book/movie ;) I also have a small line about the shows/movies/books I have NO plans to write stories in for various reasons ;) I've also tried to give an idea of the stories (of that list) that are coming for 2015, assume all others are in 2016 and beyond ;)  
3. The general idea of when a story or series will be picked up again and posted once a series/movie airs are on my FF profile (for spin-offs and main stories). As I don't know the specific dates of airing, I've given it in terms of days/weeks afterwards ;)

Some notes on reviews...

It would depend if Arthur doesn't die in this story for there to be an AU of it ;)

We'll have to wait and see if Arthur dies and what Marayna might do }:)

I can't say about Aithusa just yet, I can say that there'll be a sort of test involving the little dragon but I won't say what }:)


	15. The Poisoned Queen

The Poisoned Queen

Gwen quickly made her way through the woods, it was daylight now so she had to be twice as careful. And she knew that it meant Morgause really had to be desperate to see her for her to risk being spotted. The knights were all at training with Arthur, Merlin and Morgana were busy tending to Gaius and his herb stores, while Marayna and William made their way around the Lower Towns and market, just to get out of the castle and see the people. She had to be quick before someone noticed her absence and came looking for her.

She could tell nearly everyone but Lancelot seemed to suspect her as the traitor that had been the cause of so many 'mishaps' around the castle that nearly took Arthur's life from him. She was trying to be more discreet but she knew it was worrying Morgause and she wasn't about to let this get in her way of helping the woman take Arthur off the throne.

"Morgause," she gasped when she reached the small clearing where the woman was waiting, "My Lady I came as soon as I received your message."

Morgause smirked, "You have done very well Gwen, to stir unrest in the castle," if there was one thing to be said for the failed attempts, it had meant the guards and knights were all pulling double the patrols, which would mean there would be more tension with the people and the knights themselves would be very tired very soon.

"Anything that I can do to help, I shall endeavor to do," Gwen told her earnestly, "You need only ask."

"That is why I called you here actually," Morgause reached into her cloak and pulled out a small pouch, tossing it to Gwen.

Gwen frowned and opened it, pulling out a single leaf, one of many. She sniffed it gingerly, "Rhubarb?" she glanced at Morgause.

"Rhubarb grown on the Isle of the Blessed and plucked under a bloodmoon," she grinned, "A potent poison if ingested, what's more…magically immune."

"So Morgana can't heal Arthur," Gwen nodded, "I shall ensure it is mixed into his dinner my lady."

"No," Morgause called as Gwen turned to head back to Camelot.

"My Lady?" Gwen frowned.

"Those leaves are not meant for Arthur."

Gwen blinked, "Then who?"

Morgause smirked, "His heirs."

Gwen stilled, "William and Rosaline?" she breathed, feeling her heart ping at that for some reason it shouldn't, the two were Arthur's spawn, as likely to grow up arrogant and troublesome and as despicable as their father…

"Yes," Morgause nodded, "See to it that they partake of the leaves and we shall see Arthur's will and spirit crumble before us."

Gwen gave a small curtsy to her, before rushing off back through the woods…only to stop halfway there and press her back against a tree, panting, her chest heaving with each breath she took as she firmly planted herself there. She slid down to the floor of the forest a moment later, the pouch clutched firmly in her hand, her mind screaming at her NOT to do this.

"William and Rosaline," she whispered to herself, closing her eyes as she pictured them, the little boy with his wide, innocent eyes, the baby girl no more than a few months old…they were…they were innocent, no matter who their parents were, they still had a chance to be assets to Morgause, to the future of Camelot and to magic. She could understand wanting to target Arthur, wanting him off the throne, but the children? They were just babes, they…Rosaline was her goddaughter…

She looked at the pouch, could she do it? Could she really put those leaves into their meal? She shuddered, thinking about what she knew of rhubarb on a good day and not magically enchanted. The leaves of the rhubarb plant could be poisonous, many men, she'd heard, before they'd discovered the plant, had been away at war and tricked into eating the leaves as a food source by the enemy. They'd all been terribly poisoned and died terrible deaths. Could she subject William and Rosaline to the same fate? Could she…no, WOULD she be able to stand there as they vomited and cried out in pain and struggled to breathe?

Just imagining her goddaughter suffering the effects of the plant broke her heart. But…this was what Morgause wanted, this was what she felt needed to be done to break Arthur and make him vulnerable enough to attack the throne and win it away from him.

She looked up at that, a thought hitting her. The entire intent of Morgause's plan was to crush Arthur's spirit…that…that didn't have to mean the children! Arthur liked to portray himself as a man with a large heart, one who cared for all in his kingdom (a load of bollocks that was!) but she knew there were people he genuinely cared for. She was one of them, which made it so easy to intercept his food and sneak into his rooms and poison him, to attend the meetings where secret knowledge was shared and not be suspected. But she knew, of all the people in Arthur's life…there was a very specific one she would have to go after in order to crush his spirit as thoroughly as the death of his children would.

She smiled to herself and pushed herself up off the ground, dusting off her lavender dress before she rushed back to the castle, she had a salad to spike.

~8~

When Marayna collapsed in the middle of a council meeting shortly after lunch…it came as a shock to everyone, though Merlin had seen Gwen smirking with a pleased look on her face and had nearly needed to be held back by Morgana when he worked out what must have happened to his sister. Gwen had done something and, given how often poison seemed to come into the mix, he would be his entire life and all his magic that it involved poison. Morgause was losing her touch if she was forced to resort to repeated attempts with poison. First she had Gwen poison Arthur, then Morgause herself had poisoned him, and now it appeared Gwen had poisoned Marayna.

Arthur had been frantic when it happened. They all had been as well though, looking back on it, they all should have realized something was wrong with the woman. She'd entered the council meeting a bit late, hadn't been able to walk the straightest and was paler than normal. Throughout the meeting, over the first hour of it, they'd noticed her seeming to have trouble breathing, a faint sheen of sweat breaking out on her brow before she rubbed her head as though getting a headache. Arthur had stopped the meeting to request that she retire for the day, had called Mordred over to escort her and she'd stood, taken two steps and then collapsed. Luckily Mordred had been right there and caught her before she could hit the floor but Arthur hadn't let anyone near her after that. He'd rushed over to her, scooped her into his arms and carried her up to their chambers, Gaius and Morgana rushing after them with Merlin as well, the knights to guard the door and make sure no one came in and disturbed them while potential healing was happening.

"It appears she has been poisoned my Lord," Gaius assessed quickly, already having seen the signs in the council chamber. He'd been about to get up and go with Mordred and Marayna when she'd collapsed.

"Morgana?" Arthur looked at her pleadingly.

Morgana quickly sat down on the edge of the bed beside Marayna, the queen sleeping, her breathing labored. She held her hands out above Marayna, "_Ic the thurhaele thinu licsar mid thamsundorcraeft thaere ealdan ae!_" she murmured, the same healing spell she'd used the last two times someone had been poisoned…

But nothing happened.

Morgana frowned at that, startled, "_Ic the thurhaele thinu licsar mid thamsundorcraeft thaere ealdan ae!_" she tried again, her eyes flashing but nothing happened still, "_Ic the thurhaele thinu lics…_"

"Gana," Merlin stepped over to her as she made another attempt, "I don't think it's working."

"But it HAS to!" she cried, looking at him, "It's the same spell I used for you and Arthur."

"Maybe that's it," Arthur looked at them, alarmed, "Maybe Morgause worked out what spell you were using and came up with a different sort of poison?"

"Gaius?" Merlin looked at him.

Gaius moved back to his niece's side, looking at her closely, examining her ear as Arthur had been poisoned there, but say nothing. He moved to look into her mouth gasping when he saw it, "Her tongue has a slight discoloration to it," he noted, "Whatever it was, it was ingested and it was done so recently."

"How recently?" Arthur demanded.

"Within the last two hours at least."

"There!" Morgana pointed, "Her lunch is still there," she rushed over, sorting through the mostly eaten salad that Marayna had been eating, spotting a leaf that very much did NOT belong there, "Rhubarb?"

"Let me see," Gaius called, rushing over to take the leaf, looking at it closely, examining it intently, "I'm afraid it is."

"What's the antidote?" Arthur asked.

"It's not just that, is it?" Merlin frowned, seeing the smile fall from Gaius's face as he looked at the leaf, "If it was…the spell would have worked."

"I fear the rhubarb might be enchanted," Gaius nodded, or have more magical properties than a normal plant of this type."

"What does that mean?" Arthur shook his head, "Can you help Mara or not?!"

The solemn look Gaius sent his way was answer enough.

Arthur swallowed hard and looked back at the bed where Marayna was lying, struggling to breath, the sweat on her brown now more than just a sheen layer but soaking her forehead. Her face was scrunched in pain, she was getting paler by the minute and Arthur, the king of Camelot…

Felt utterly helpless as he moved to sit on the edge of his wife's bed, taking her hand in his and praying to whatever deity was out there, whatever god or goddess or triple goddess might be listening to his pleas to save his wife and allow her to live another day.

~8~

Arthur sat in the Main Hall, silent, stoic, unmoving, undisturbed, his mind heavily weighed down.

Gaius had given his final report about Marayna and the rhubarb. It had to have been grown in a place sacred to magic and, given how potent it was to withstand even Morgana's attempt to heal Marayna, the only place he could think of was the Isle of the Blessed. That only served to make the news worse because the poison as it was, because of where the rhubarb came from, a place so immersed in magic…it made it resistant to magic in return.

Morgana wouldn't be able to heal Marayna.

No one would, not the Bloodguard, not the Catha, not even the Druids cold help them now and it broke his heart to think that. Gaius could administer all the ordinary cures and treatments for a poisoning of rhubarb but because it was magical in nature the regular cure would have no effect. Gaius had been able to give her something to induce vomiting, helping empty her stomach of the rhubarb she'd eaten but they feared it was too late, she had already been affected by the poison.

Literally the only thing they could do was wait and hope that Marayna hadn't ingested enough to kill her entirely. They had to wait and see if the poison would naturally burn out of her and if she'd be ok in the end…

It was not something they were looking forward to, it made them all feel utterly helpless, especially him. HE was the king, not only that but he was her husband. He was meant to keep his kingdom, his people, his queen safe and he'd failed. What's more…he was supposed to protect his wife and she was now lying in their bed, fighting for her life against a deadly poison that had been administered by one of their best friends, if he could still call Gwen that.

He closed his eyes and pressed his fingers to where his nose met his forehead and rubbed it for that thought. He was trying very hard not to see Gwen as an enemy, not to see her as the poisoner he felt like she was but instead as a poor girl under an enchantment. He knew it had to be Marayna's own personal connection to magic that allowed her to look past those who used it for evil or foul purposes and see the crime committed underneath it instead as just the magic being to blame. He was having trouble managing that, he was having trouble NOT blaming Gwen for what she'd done.

He wanted, more than anything, to have her dragged before the courts and forced to face the evidence, face her actions, and out her publically as a traitor to the crown. He'd reached a point where, if he had to, he'd see Gwen beheaded if it meant Marayna would be ok again. He didn't want it to come to that, but it was so incredibly hard to remember Gwen was under an enchantment. She didn't act like it at all, she seemed herself, in full control of her thoughts and actions…nothing at all like, he'd heard, HE was like when enchanted, so it was hard to not see this as Gwen choosing to harm those she cared for instead of being forced or influenced to do it.

He was tying, he was trying os hard to keep it in mind , to not think of Gwen as a murderer, as a poisoner, as a traitor.

He was failing.

Because his wife was dying and it was Gwen's fault. His wife, his queen, the one who held his heart in her hand, who consumed his every thought and who was the reason he was who he was today, the king he was, the father he was…was dying a slow death of poison. And there was nothing he could do about it as they didn't even have proof. According to the cooks, they'd placed the salad for the queen to the side, turned around to finish preparing the meals and it was gone, whisked away by one of the servants who delivered the meals to him and Marayna when they got far too busy, which wasn't often, but it did happen. If GWEN had delivered it, Marayna would NEVER have eaten it. So it had to be the servants. All they could think of was that, when the cook's back as turned, Gwen had snuck in and put the rhubarb in the salad meant for the queen.

But they couldn't prove that.

He didn't know what he'd do if Marayna didn't recover, if she didn't wake up. The entire point of his reign was that he wasn't his father, that he was different, that he'd be different. How could that happen if he lost his wife, to something magical, the same way his father had. As much as everyone told him he was succeeding in his quest to be a better man than his father, as much as they reassured him that he wasn't Uther…he was terrified of what he'd do if he lost Marayna now. He didn't know how he'd react. There were times, rare though they where he almost thought the Purge was initiated in a fit of grief and his father was just too stubborn and prideful to take it back. What would HE do if Marayna died?

What would he tell the children?!

He closed his eyes at that, Marayna HAD to live, if not for him then for THEM. She couldn't leave their children without a mother. That had been her greatest fear throughout the pregnancy, that she'd die and leave them all alone. She couldn't go now, not when it would mean abandoning their children. And she'd never do that, she loved them too much, she loved HIM too much.

"Arthur?" he looked up, seeing Merlin enter, his face still as grim and solemn as it had been since finding out Morgana couldn't heal his sister so he knew there was no change.

"Yes?" he sighed, rubbing a hand down his face.

"You alright?"

"Oh yes Merlin," he rolled his eyes, "I'm just wonderful what with my wife on death's doorstep! How are you?!"

Merlin sent him a glared, "Miserable and terrified since MY sister is on death's doorstep."

"I'm sorry," Arthur winced, "I just…" he shook his head, "What do I do?" he looked at her, "How do I help her? What do I do if she doesn't get better?"

"You go on?" Merlin shrugged, really not knowing what to say, having no words of wisdom to offer that would help, "You go on, for her, and you be the king she always thought you could be."

Arthur nodded, looking down, not wanting to start crying in front of Merlin as he thought about the very real possibility his wife might die, "Merlin…if Mara…" he choked on his words and swallowed hard, "I need you to do something for me."

"What?" he asked, instead of promising he'd do anything.

Arthur looked at him, "Get Guinevere out of Camelot," Merlin blinked at him, "I will kill her, if Mara dies. I won't be able to rationalize or think about the enchantment on her, I know enough of myself to know that. I know she poisoned my wife, and I know I won't be sound of mind enough if Mara dies to give her a trial. I would hunt her down and run her through and I can't be seen to do that. So I need you to promise me that Guinevere will be out of my sight, I don't care if you have to tell Lancelot I've banished her, just get her away from me before I do something I'd regret."

Merlin looked at him a long while in return, "If I do that Arthur…I'd be doing something _I_ will regret," he sighed, "Gwen is my friend, but Aya is my sister and if she dies…I'd want the one responsible for poisoning her to be punished, enchantment or not," he stepped forward and put a hand on Arthur's shoulder, "You may need to ask one of your newer knights to see to it."

"The newer ones?" Arthur blinked.

"You think the others wouldn't choose to drag Gwen before the court themselves first?" Merlin scoffed, "Gwaine would be on the hunt before you could blink."

Arthur nodded, he should have remembered that, all the knights who knew of the magic going on in Camelot would be just as likely to drag Gwen TO him than get her away from him. He closed his eyes, taking a deep breath, feeling the tears about to hit him again and this time…he couldn't stop them, he just…

He was scared.

He could admit it, his wife was in danger and she was hurt and sick and there was NOTHING he could do about it. This wasn't like the first time she was poisoned, here there was a magical cure, this wasn't an enemy he could face down with a sword in her name…this was something she had to face herself and he was utterly terrified he'd lose her.

Merlin stepped closer, tugging Arthur to his feet and giving him a tight hug he knew the king would later deny ever needing, but that was fine…because HE needed the hug just as badly.

~8~

Word of the queen's poisoning had spread far through the kingdom and Arthur had nearly broken down when he looked out of his window one night to see the people with their candles, having a vigil for the queen. It reminded him FAR too much of when his father had passed, how he was still alive yet everyone treated him as though he were already dead. It made him fear for Marayna all the more and he hadn't left her bed since then. He knew he'd feel terrible about it later, denying his children their father for so long, it had been two days already, nearly three and it was just haunting him even more that his father had died so soon after his own injuries. Merlin and Morgana had been wonderful to him, especially Merlin, to take the children with them so they wouldn't have to see their mother like that. The last he heard, the children were aware their mother wasn't feeling well and needed lots of sleep to get better and they were currently picking flowers with the two and Gwaine for her for WHEN she woke up. No one had the heart to tell the children it might be IF instead.

He reached out and took her hand, "It's been nearly a decade since we were here," he murmured, "Only last time it was me on that bed with the threat of never waking up," he smiled bitterly at that thought, remembering the Questing Beast, "You were willing to give up your life for me even then and I'm prepared to do the same Mara. I would, in a heartbeat for you, but unfortunately you're also the High Priestess and, without you, the Cup of Life can't be properly used," he looked at her, "You always told me there was more to life than duty but right now you need to remember the duties you DO have. To the magic-users, you're their Queen, you can't leave them with a High Priestess who's barely half a year old, can you?"

He eyed her for a reaction, "Or what about your children, you've a duty to them as their mother to always be there. You can't leave them like this Mara, you just can't, please, they need their mother. Rosaline especially, can you imagine how rubbish I'll be when she's older and wanting to court other boys?" he shook his head, "I'd try to run them through before she could introduce them, I need you there to make sure they live to see another day and get a chance to prove how they're only NEARLY good enough for our daughter."

"And Camelot," he continued, "You're the queen, officially. You're the best queen the kingdom's ever had. You keep me sane and rational and you keep everyone safe and point out when I'm being a clotpole and when I'm being arrogant and you see things I don't. Your perspective as a former peasant and servant is invaluable to me Mara, to them. You make this kingdom a better and safer place. I've never felt so close to my subjects as I do because of all you've done for them and me."

"What about me?" he asked her quietly after a moment of silence, "I need you Mara. I need you…so much," his voice broke as he felt tears in his eyes, "You are my entire world and I need you in it to make it brighter. You challenge me, you care for me, actually me and not my crown and I love you. I love everything about you I…I truly think that you taught me what love truly was, something that withstands all barriers and challenges and station and rules and all that other rubbish that would keep us apart. You made me a better man, a better king, but I've only just begun. WE have only just begun. One decade with you Mara isn't enough, three or four or five wouldn't be enough. I need you with me for all times, till death do us part and that can't be now. It can't be so…for once, listen to your king when he orders you not to die."

He lifted her hand to his lips and kissed it, his eyes locked on her face, "Please don't die…"

"Well…" he heard a weak voice murmur a moment before Marayna's eyes fluttered slightly, "Since you…asked so…nicely," she offered him a weak smiled, "Artie."

He was quite thankful Gaius wasn't there as he was sure he would have got quite the scolding for half-picking her up and hugging her as tightly as he had.

~8~

"Merlin where are we going?" Lancelot asked as Merlin dragged him through the woods that night, "Shouldn't you be with your sister?"

The queen had recovered, thank god, and the kingdom as in a celebration for it. But Merlin, right at that moment was seething, utterly furious, murderous. Which was why he'd had to bring Lancelot with him on this trek, if not…he'd kill Gwen.

That was not something he ever thought he'd do, not even when his sister was dying as there was always the hope that she'd wake up and be fine. And she had, woken up, and she was, fine that is, for the most part. Gaius had examined her, remarked she was still very very weak, but that the danger of the poison seemed to have passed for now, that she was very lucky that she'd pulled through this and ordered her not to get out of bed for at least a week.

Marayna herself was rather irritated by that, but seeing her children again, and the small 'get well' gifts they'd made her had lightened her spirit.

If only the same could be said for Merlin as he was quite the opposite. He was truly more angry than he could remember feeling, and hurt, so utterly hurt, for his sister. Because Gaius had quickly excused himself from the royal bedchamber and Merlin knew something was wrong, so he'd followed his uncle to the physician's chambers and see the man actually start to cry. That had been the only sign he'd needed to see to know something was very wrong indeed. And when he'd confronted Gaius…he hadn't even waited, hadn't thought of it, he'd gone after Gwen…but seen her sneaking out of the kingdom, using the festivities to move about unnoticed, and instead grabbed Lancelot and dragged him after him, intent to prove, once and for all to the man, what was wrong with Gwen.

He knew he'd be more careful, if her were in the right state of mind, but he wasn't. Because what Gaius had told him had shaken him to the core.

Marayna had been with child again, just barely noticeable to a skilled physician but before the signs to all others, including herself actually arose.

And now she wasn't.

The rhubarb…the poison, all of it…it had been too much for her body and the baby was lost. Gaius made him SWEAR that he would say NOTHING to anyone else about it, not even Morgana because he knew it would devastate Marayna and Arthur and, if word got to the people about it, if even a hint of suspicion fell on Gwen they'd demand her execution, not her trial. He'd agreed only because he knew that it would shatter his sister to know what happened.

That didn't mean he wasn't going to do something about it.

He was going to prove her guilt to her husband because he knew they'd need Lancelot on their side to stop Gwen.

"Just…keep quiet," Merlin said, pulling him through the woods until they slowed, hearing voices in the distance.

"…there a problem?" Morgause's voice was saying.

Lancelot quickly moved to pull his sword, but Merlin stopped him, a finger to his lips…and Lancelot's heart broke hearing the voice that answered the sorceress.

"No," Gwen said, "The festivities have distracted them all."

"So you were able to get what I need?"

Lancelot slowly walked forward and peered around a tree to see the two women, to see Gwen hand her a scroll, "It was too easy," Gwen smirked, "With how distracted Arthur was with his wife. It details the route the levy collection will take, the names of the knights, their arms, and the day they depart."

Lancelot let out a breath at that, stunned to see Gwen, his dear sweet Gwen helping such a vile woman.

"You've done well, Gwen."

"How can it further our cause?"

Lancelot pulled back and looked at Merlin, tears in his eyes as he realized…

Gwen had betrayed them all.

A/N: Poor Lancelot :( I took a tiny bit from the start of the next episode to end this one, Merlin's quite take charge too isn't he? ;) But there's a little hope for Gwen though, she didn't target the kids ;)

Some notes on reviews...

I feel like Morgause, knowing they're suspicious of Gwen, would probably have some sort of enchantment or plan for a truth potion to help her lie while under it :( But Merlin definitely took care of that here ;)

We'll have to wait and see what happens to Arthur }:)


	16. With All My Heart

With All My Heart

Lancelot sat in his chambers, looking at Gwen, feeling so…he wasn't sure. He'd fought with all his heart to deny the accusations of the others, that Gwen had been the one poisoning people and trying to kill the royal family and then he'd seen it with his own eyes, her selling out her kingdom to Morgause. His heart had shattered to see it and he'd very nearly stormed down there to attack Morgause, recalling how the others had said that they believed the woman had done something to his wife…but Merlin stopped him. If he'd done that it would have put Gwen in danger.

It had…surprised him for just a moment that Merlin had been thinking of Gwen's safety as well. Merlin had seemed quite…angry, Arthur as well, which he understood entirely. His wife had…she'd tried to… he couldn't even imagine what it would be like if someone he trusted had tried to poison Gwen, and for the woman's husband AND brothers (he counted Mordred among them) to have to deal with such a thing from GWEN of all people. He understood that they were upset, and he knew that…that if Marayna had died…there would be no hope for Gwen. All that they'd done for the last few weeks was try to find a way to break the enchantment over Gwen, and try to keep those around them safe from any attempts she might make. They'd been successful in that no one but poor Tyr had died. He'd died before they'd known it was Gwen though and if she'd succeeded, if she'd actually murdered the queen…enchantment or not her actions would have driven Arthur to hold trial on her and, given the way she'd spoken to Morgause last night, the enchantment would have had her spewing venom about Camelot and her fate would be sealed.

Merlin had promised him though, promised that they were working on a way to help Gwen, that the Druids had sent word to Gaius that they might have found something. The old man was set to go 'collect herbs' in just a few hours to see what they'd discovered. He was hopeful that he'd come back with good news. Merlin had warned him though, if he should talk about this with any of the knights or Arthur, anyone who knew about Gwen really, that he ONLY speak of it as though Gwen were under an enchantment. There was to be NO mention of any possibility at all that Gwen could have possibly done any of what she had under her own freewill. Merlin had been quite adamant about that.

He understood that as well. He had seen Arthur and Merlin when Marayna had been sick, he knew they had likely struggled to keep recalling the fact that Gwen was enchanted, to keep that in mind while the woman they both cared for was so near death. He wasn't sure he would have been able to be so resolute as to keep that in his grasp while his wife potentially died. But they'd managed. He was sure, for a brief moment they feared what they would have to do if Marayna died. Enchantment or not, killing the queen was horrendous, and if she could manage that then no one was safe and it would have been for the safety of the kingdom that Gwen be executed instead of freed. He was sure, if Marayna had died, Arthur wouldn't care if Gwen had been enchanted or not, he'd want his wife avenged and justice seen.

It pained him to say he would not have blamed the man.

But he was so thankful it hadn't come to that, that Merlin and Morgana and everyone was STILL trying their best to find a way to save his wife, that they still considered her able to be saved and worth saving. Merlin had reassured him that they all cared for Gwen and they knew what it was like to be under Morgause's thumb, as Morgana had been herself though under different circumstances. They would do all they could to free her and that meant the world to him. Still, he couldn't help but sit there and look at her and wonder how he hadn't realized what she'd done. He couldn't help but look at her and wonder how she could have done it at all, enchantment or not. It just…wasn't_ Gwen_.

"I thought I might take a short ride this morning," Gwen remarked.

"Oh?" he blinked, feeling a tightening in his chest as he thought she might bring it up so he'd defend her that she was on a ride if questioned…when really that 'ride' was out to meet Morgause...

"Would you like to join me?" she asked.

He let out a breath, if he said yes, she couldn't meet Morgause, if that was where she was going, "Of course," he smiled, "I love spending time with you Gwen," he looked at her softly, "I love _you_."

Gwen blinked and frowned just slightly, "Lancelot," she got up and moved over to him, taking his hand and kneeling before him, "Are you alright?"

"Of course," he reassured her.

"It's just…you seem distracted."

"Just…the one who poisoned Rayna," he began, watching her expression closely, "Has not been caught, nor the one who poisoned Arthur. I fear for those in the castle," he swallowed hard, seeing her expression hadn't changed and knew he needed to cover his tracks, "I fear for YOU."

Gwen smiled at that, "You have no need, I'm sure whoever they are has fled the kingdom after attempting to take both Arthur and Marayna's life."

"Why do you do that?" he frowned.

"Do what?"

"Call her Marayna, I don't believe I've ever heard you call her anything but Rayna," he eyed her, "Have you had a falling out?"

"No," Gwen laughed, "No I just…I know she hates being called queen," she covered, "But I DO think Rayna is a little too informal so I thought I'd try to get her to come around to at least her full name. Best practice now so I don't flub it when I speak to her next, yes?"

He nodded slowly, that was the weakest lie he'd ever heard. He knew that when Gwen was angry, much like other women, she used people's full names. But she was masking her anger and dislike quite well. Gwen, however, just smiled and kissed his hand, before she got up and returned to her seat, the two of them finishing their breakfasts in silence.

~8~

Merlin, Marayna, and Morgana were in the physician's chambers, trying to pour over as many magic books as they could in the short amount of time they could all be together and researching with each other before others in the castle started to notice their absence. Luckily Arthur was entertaining William and Rosaline in the Main Hall (with Benedict nearby) so hopefully, with the king so visible, no one would come looking for the queen. Mordred would have been there too but he and Leon were on a levy collection, both having been warned of a new route now that Gwen had given up their prior route to Morgause. They had debated sending out a small army instead of a few knights to the route earlier than expected to try and capture Morgause, but as they didn't know what her forces for that event were like, they felt they'd best just not show up there at all, bide their time.

"This is starting to feel hopeless," Morgana sighed, rubbing her eyes, they'd been at it for weeks now, trying to find out what enchantment Gwen was under, it was unlike any they'd seen before.

"We have to keep trying," Marayna shook her head.

Merlin was silent a long while, "What if there is no remedy?"

"If Gwen has suffered what the Druids and I suspect," Gaius called as he entered, the ward they'd placed on the door to compel others to knock first was keyed to allow their trusted friends in instead, "Then there may yet be a way to save her."

"You know what happened to her?" Merlin looked at Gaius hopefully.

"When I was young, I heard about an ancient ritual of the Old Religion called the Teine Diaga, it is the same enchantment that the Druids believe Gwen has fallen under. I did not even consider it till they mentioned it when I met with them."

"Teine Diaga?" Morgana frowned, Morgause had never mentioned something like that.

"The sacred fire," Gaius nodded, "The ritual used the mandrake root to bring unimaginable terror to the victim," Morgana and Marayna stiffened at that, recalling how they'd sensed a dark magic in the room Gwen had been kept, thinking on it now, it did feel quite a bit like the mandrake that had affected Uther, "Their screams could be heard twenty leagues away. When it was finally over, their will was no longer their own. They were slaves of the high priestesses for eternity."

"The High Priestess?" Marayna scoffed, "She is really dead set on setting herself up as that isn't she?"

"So what do we do?"

"I'm afraid I cannot say for sure," Gaius sighed, "Such mysteries as that ritual were revealed only to a handful of female initiates. As a boy, I was privy only to rumors."

"There must be someone who can help though," Morgana insisted.

"I can only think of one being that could help us now. The Dochraid."

"The Dochraid?" Merlin repeated, "Where are they? I'll head out at once and…"

"Be warned, Merlin," Gaius cut in, "The Dochraid cannot be trusted. She must never know your true identity."

Merlin grimaced, "Does this mean I need to drink that god awful aging potion again?"

Gaius just chuckled, quite evilly if Merlin had to describe it.

~8~

It was a solemn affair when Merlin returned from his meeting. Everyone save Gwen was gathered in the physician's chambers to hear Merlin and what he'd learned. There was a Cauldron, a sort of lake a few days ride from there where the powers of 'the Goddess' could be felt. If she was summoned to the lake, then someone enchanted as Gwen was could enter it and be freed from it. But Gwen had to enter it willingly and they all knew that, while they might be able to convince her to do that once there, they needed to GET her there first. Given her tight ties to Morgause, Lancelot couldn't imagine she'd agree to anything that would have her leaving the castle for days on end. Nearly a week if the journey back was counted. And, if Gwen had time to warn Morgause of her departure, Morgause might try to strike them on the road or attack and steal Gwen away, or attack Camelot.

"Would the plan work?" Lancelot looked at them all, just…needing to know that, needing to know his wife would come back to him safe and sound.

"There are too many things to go wrong," Merlin was pacing, fear for his friend evident on his face, "And summoning the White Goddess?" he shook his head, "Aya would have to do that as the High Priestess…"

"I'm not sure I'm ready for that," Marayna ran a hand through her hair as Arthur moved to sit beside her, "High Priestesses study for AGES before summoning goddesses don't they?"

"But if you don't," Morgana reached out to take her hand, "Then in those ages Gwen might hurt someone," she squeezed Marayna's hand, "What if it had been William's salad instead of yours? What if, next time it's Rosaline's milk bladder that's poisoned?"

Arthur nodded, "We need to free Guinevere as soon as possible.

"How will we get Gwen to the Cauldron?" Mordred inquired, "I do not imagine she would go willingly.

"I've already thought of that," Gaius smiled, holding up a small vial, "Morgana?" he handed it to her to assess.

She hesitantly wafted a smell of it towards her nose, "Tincture of Belladonna."

"Precisely," Gaius nodded, making Morgana smile.

"Belladonna?" Gwaine frowned, "Isn't that dangerous?"

"It could be if used improperly," Morgana recited.

"Hardly more dangerous than the traitor in the heart of Camelot," Leon remarked.

"A mere 2 drops would keep her asleep for hours," Morgana added, "And it would be perfectly safe if it's not used more than three days."

"Three days is time enough to ride to the Cauldron of Arianrhod," Gaius nodded.

"There's just one more problem," Merlin sighed, "Gwen needs to enter the Cauldron of her own free will or the spell will not be broken."

"That should not be a problem," Percival remarked, making them all look at her, "Whatever her feelings for Camelot or Arthur and Marayna…she still LOVES you Lancelot," he looked at her, "You are her husband. If anyone could convince her…it would be you."

"You think I can still reach her?" Lancelot breathed, needing that hope.

"Never underestimate the power of love, Lancelot," Marayna stated wisely, smiling at Arthur.

~8~

Gwen stopped short when she entered her rooms to see Lancelot sitting there, candles on their little table, food already placed there, smiling at her, "What's all this for?" she asked, a smile of her own growing on her face.

"I just…love you," he told her, "And I want you to be happy and safe and protected with me," he walked over to her, taking her hands, trying to keep his sorrow and despair for the situation she was in out of his voice, "I want you to know that I will never abandon you and I will always fight for you, no matter what. Because you are my wife and I love you."

"I love you too Lancelot," she leaned in and kissed him.

He swallowed hard, "So, I thought I would prepare a bit of a toast," he turned and poured two glasses of wine, slipping two drops of Belladonna into one goblet and handing it to her, "To my lovely, strong, beautiful, loyal wife."

Gwen blushed at his praises and clinked her goblet to his, taking a sip of the wine…only to frown when she saw him place his down and look at her, not taking a sip of it, "You didn't drink."

"No," he stepped closer to her, catching her right as she fell into his arms, unconscious. He lifted her into his arms, about to carry her out of the room…when he noticed something on the dresser and quickly placed Gwen on their bed for a moment. He walked over to the object, fingering it slightly, before he moved and grabbed a small pouch to place it in, tying it to his belt before he picked his wife up again, bundling her in a cloak first as the night was bound to be chilled and headed out of the room.

He walked quickly along the halls, not passing anyone, thanks to the Queen and Merlin being former servants, they knew when others would be roaming the halls and were able to prescribe a path for him to reach an exit where Arthur, Marayna, and Mordred were already waiting with horses. Morgana and Merlin had argued that they wanted to go, but they knew, being the High Priestess, that it would be up to Marayna to summon the goddess as was her right. Gwen required no healing and they were quite sure, with the time restraint they had, there would be no time to worry about defensive magic, instead blasting their way through whoever might end up in their path. Morgana and Merlin were to stay in the castle and protect it should Morgause attempt anything. Mordred was going as extra protection and Arthur as he felt it was his responsibility to see to it that his knight and the man's wife were alright in the end. And…he was actually starting to become quite interested in magic, if he could see more of it, more of how it was used for good…perhaps it would help him write the last of the laws that need to be changed.

Lancelot wasted no time in getting Gwen onto a horse, getting on behind her and securing her to him as they all raced off into the words,

~8~

Mordred and Marayna were tense as they continued on the journey on foot. It had been a rather easy trip, on the horses, to try and get to the cauldron. TOO easy according to them. They'd reached the mountains that would lead to their destination quickly enough, but the rest of the journey had to be on foot as the horses would have stumbled and tripped and struggled to make it up the steep mountain in one piece. Lancelot hadn't complained at all about it, merely picked Gwen up into his arms and carried her, the woman still unconscious from the doses of Belladonna they'd been giving her the entire time. Arthur had been pleased as they were making good time, but his wife and brother-in-law were far too on edge about it.

By now Morgause would have certainly realized the levy route had been changed and she'd have contacted Gwen about it. And, when Gwen, didn't show, they knew Morgause would come after her as well. It would only be a matter of time before the woman found them and they were very much anxious to try and get Gwen to the cauldron before then. They didn't want to risk Morgause not only attacking them to get her puppet back, but realizing that Arthur and Marayna were there as well, that the castle was being left to just her sister and Merlin. Arthur would have laughed at their paranoia, however he'd learned over the years that often the little feelings that Marayna or Merlin or even Morgana got at times helped them keep out of excessive amounts of trouble.

If both Marayna and Mordred felt there was something wrong there…there was something wrong. He just hoped that, for once it would be visible and not magically hidden. He had his hand on his sword as they continued their journey up into the mountains. They'd camped out the night before, but they knew time was of the essence and had left as early as they could to try and get to the cauldron by midday.

"What's the meaning of these banners?" Mordred asked as they passed by an area that had quite a few stuck all over the place.

"It's like a path marker," Marayna remarked, "To guide them to sacred sites of the Old Religion. Or, if you're Uther, it's mementos of sites you've destroyed that once stood there but don't any longer."

"Does the cauldron?" Lancelot looked at her, "Still stand."

"Could you see Uther making this trip?" Marayna smirked, making Lancelot smile.

"I'll have you know my father was in very fit health," Arthur argued, assuming she knew about the banners from Gaius, "Can you tell how much further?"

"I don't believe it's far," Lancelot remarked, "I saw maps Gaius was using, this gorge should lead to the Cauldron…"

The rest of his sentence was cut off by a horrible screech cutting through the air. They looked up to see Aithusa flying towards them, the mouth of the Dragon opening to breathe fire at them, Mordred leaping forward to put up a shield around them with magic.

"Get back!" Marayna called to Arthur and Lancelot.

"Mara!" Arthur tried to head for her, to pull her back as Lancelot moved behind boulders with Gwen upon the queen's command.

"Arthur, do YOU have magic to face a Dragon down with?" she shouted back to him and he hesitated, "Do NOT make me blast you back there with said magic Artie."

He had to smile at that, "If you get hurt…" he left the sentence open, knowing that she knew there would be hell to pay if she got injured helping protect them.

"I'm the offensive one Arthur," she reminded him, "Just get back and don't distract me!"

Arthur let out a huff but ran back to Lancelot, watching as Marayna stepped over to Mordred, seeming to be waiting for something.

"Aithusa!" she called, even though she was no Dragonlord, perhaps the Dragon would recognize her. It seemed the Dragon did just for a moment as it stopped breathing fire, "Drop the shield," she murmured to Mordred, stepping past him as he lowered his arms, watching her carefull, "Aithusa stop!" she looked up, but the Dragon let out another screech and dove for her, opening its mouth once more to tray and breathe fire at her, "I'm sorry," she whispered to it, before bringing her hands together and quickly throwing them out, a powerful blast of magic striking Aithusa in the head , shoving it to the side and causing the fire to breathe elsewhere as the same blast knocked it back.

She watched in sorrow as the Dragon let out a pained squeal and flew away, much like a puppy that was harmed by its master.

"I really am," she whispered to its retreating from.

Arthur and Lancelot slowly came out from behind the boulder, "If the White Dragon's here…Morgause must be close," Arthur reasoned.

"Come on," Marayna shook her head, "We need to hurry and get Gwen free."

And with that, they turned and rushed off, higher into the mountain, only for Mordred to spin around, throwing his arms up and blocking a blast of magic that was sent at them by Morgause as she appeared behind them.

"I am getting sick of this," Marayna strode forward and blasted Morgause back, throwing her hand to the side and sending her flying over the side of the cliff, "Survive THAT!" she shouted to the sorceress as she fell. She had no doubts that Morgause would find some way to survive, a transportation spell midair perhaps? She didn't know, nor did she care, whatever it was she'd bought them time. She turned around to see the three men staring at her, "What?"

"You just threw Morgause off a cliff," Mordred reminded her.

"Yes, and?"

Arthur just chuckled and laughed, stepping over to her and kissing her, "That's my wife."

She nodded, "And speaking of wives, we have one to tend to," she nodded at Gwen, "It won't be long before Morgause comes back to attack, we need to get Gwen to the cauldron, now!"

Lancelot nodded and turned, all of them running off once more.

~8~

"Is this it?" Lancelot asked as they reached a large pool of water at the top of the mountain.

"I believe so," Mordred breathed, "I can feel the magic here…this is a very sacred spot."

"Ok," Marayna nodded, "Put Gwen by the pool before she wakes up," Lancelot nodded and moved to do that, "Arthur, Mordred, keep watch…"

"I AM the King Mara," Arthur rolled his eyes though he had a playful smile on his face, "Shouldn't I be giving the orders?"

"Hardly," she scoffed with a smile, "Standing in front of a magic pool sacred to the Old Religion and about to summon a goddess? That's work for the High Priestess, you're on my kingdom now Artie."

He laughed and shook his head, making his way over to her and kissing her quickly, "Please be careful," he whispered to her, recalling how she and Merlin and Morgana had passed out after creating the enchanted forest. It would seem like summoning a goddess would be just as hard.

"I will," she nodded, kissing him again, before she ushered him off, "Go," he sighed but headed over to the edge of the mountain, opposite Mordred as she turned back to Lancelot as he knelt by Gwen at the edge of the pool. She moved to crouch beside him, "I can't promise you this will work Lancelot," she said bluntly.

"I know," he nodded, taking a breath, "That was clear to me all along, but as long as there is a chance I can have Gwen back…I shall seize it with both hands."

"Ok," she took a breath, "This is what will happen…I wake Gwen and she has to walk into those waters on her own. It has to be her choice, she can't be forced. If she does that, the spell on her will break. But the spell itself will try to keep her from doing that."

"How do I get her to enter the water?"

She smiled, "Find the part of her that's still Gwen. You're her husband Lancelot, you know her mind, her heart, and her soul better than anyone. Are you ready?" he nodded and she turned to Gwen, holding a hand over her, "_Gielde ic thec thissa meowlessawole, gyden aeblaece._"

Lancelot watched as Marayna's eyes flashed gold before she stood and backed away, Gwen starting to stir…before she jolted awake and looked around, startled, "Where am I? What have you done to me?!" she looked at Lancelot, horrified, betrayed that he had something to do with this. She could see Arthur and Marayna and Mordred gathered around her and felt cornered.

"I'm so sorry Gwen," he reached out for her, "You've been asleep a few days…we're at the cauldron of…"

"Get away from me!" Gwen scrambled to her feet, trying to run away, but Lancelot caught her wrist and turned her to him, taking her other hand, holding her gently despite her struggles.

"Gwen…Gwen! Listen to me…"

"Listen to YOU?" she scoffed, "You betrayed me!"

"As you have Camelot," he countered.

"Camelot betrayed me first!" she shouted, "First my father, then my husband, then my brother. I have you back but I have lost everything and all of it, everything because of them!" she spat, throwing an accusing finger at Marayna and Arthur, "They should have stopped it, but they didn't!"

"You don't believe that," Lancelot shook his head, "The Gwen I know would have gladly given her life for her friends, as your father would his daughter and your brother did his sister. It was no fault on their part. And I came back to you Gwen, _because_ of them."

"They killed you the first time!"

"No," he gently began running circles on the back of her hand, "I was the one who chose to step into the tear, because it meant saving YOU Gwen. Yes, Camelot and my king would be safe…but it was YOU, my love for you that drove me to make the sacrifice I did. And I will sacrifice everything, if I must, to get you back. I love you Gwen."

Gwen stared at him, "You…you still…you still love me?" she breathed, finding it hard to reconcile that. She knew what she'd done in the past, she knew the choices she'd made and…he KNEW. He knew about all her involvement in it and he still loved her?

Lancelot smiled and reached into the pouch on his belt, pulling out the metal flower he'd had commissioned for her that he'd taken with him, "Do you remember what I said, when I gave you those flowers?"

She looked at the metal rose, gently taking it from his hand, "That you'd love me forever, till the last rose died."

"And I shall," Lancelot touched her cheek, "No matter what you say Gwen, or what you do, I will always love you, with all my heart. I just…miss you," he admitted, getting her to look up at him, "I miss my wife, the woman I married, the woman I fell in love with. Please," he looked into her eyes, "Tell me I haven't lost her forever."

"No…" Gwen breathed after a long pause, looking at Lancelot with tears in her eyes, "You haven't… I…" she started frowning, blinking rapidly, "I don't…what…" she looked at him again, "Lancelot…"

And that was all he needed, to see her trying to break through, before he took her hand and gently led her to the waters, knowing he needed to help her there before the spell reasserted itself. He helped her in, till the water was up to her waist…before he kissed her hand and stepped back out of the lake.

"_Yfel gaest, ga thu fram thisselichaman_!" Marayna called, her hands held out at the water, "_Bith hire mod eft freo. Ar ond heofonutungol sceal thurhswithan_!"

Her eyes flashed gold and Gwen was surrounded in a pure white light that nearly blinded them all, before it slowly faded. Gwen looked around for a moment before she turned and saw Lancelot and tried to rush out of the waters as fast as her soaked gown would allow her. But Lancelot made it easy for her, rushing into the lake, meeting her halfway and kissing her quickly, the trio smiling on from the shores, so relieved and happy to see Gwen back.

Arthur moved his arm around Marayna's shoulders, "You are absolutely wonderful," he murmured in her ear, kissing her temple.

"Thanks," she smiled sadly.

Arthur frowned, noticing the sad quality of it and reached out to touch her cheek, turning her to look at him, "What's wrong?"

"Noth…"

"Don't lie to me Mara," he gave her a pointed look.

She sighed, "You see that," she nodded at Gwen and Lancelot, still kissing, "Gwen's been freed, magic did something…truly wonderful…and no one can ever know," he looked at her again, seeing even Mordred was looking away, hearing her, "No one will know that magic was used for good because magic isn't allowed to be used. We had to sneak Gwen out, study in secret to find out what was wrong with her, it took weeks when it might have taken half the time if there were ways to use more time for it," she sighed, running a hand through her hair, "I just feel like…all the people ever see is the bad magic, the evil people who use it for that and not…this…" she gestured at Gwen again, "And that breaks my heart."

Arthur looked from her to Mordred to Gwen and the lake and back to Marayna, tightening his hold around her, it broke his heart too.

But, he was starting to think, perhaps now would be a good time to change that.

A/N: I think my computer has followed my laptop and committed suicide on me :( I got a virus on Thursday and my entire hard drive was erased :'( I still had the stories on backup all the chapters save about 2 OUAT ones, but I couldn't get my computer to work at all and with school I had no access to a computer to fix the chapters for yesterday :( I managed to make it to the library in my town Friday though and I got a few chapters edited. My sister originally told me Friday that she'd let me borrow her laptop to post...and of course, when she tells me she'll 'let' me use it, it means after she's woken up and finished using it herself -sigh- I just got a hold of it 5 minutes ago :( And, worse yet, she's in a mood now and she's not letting me use it again so I don't think I'll be able to post a second chapter today (like I mentioned on tumblr). BUT! I'm heading out to get a new computer in about an hour so hopefully I'll have everything set to give you guys a double whammy tomorrow ;)

But as for this chapter...ooh, what's cooking in Arthur's head? }:) I'm VERY excited for the next chapter ;) Let's just say...Gwen might have a surprising request for the local magic-users }:)

Some notes on reviews...

Lol, I had a history class about WWI and the professor always tried to give us little interesting facts at the start of every lesson, one was that in WWI the British soldiers would be offered or advised by locals to eat Rhubarb leaves as a food source and, since they weren't familiar with it, a lot of them died from the poison :( I've been waiting forever to use that in a story since I learned of it ;) But that's awesome it happened in another too lol :)

Gwen was under a spell yup :( It was more like Elyan was the last shred of her own free will keeping her from following what Morgause wanted, and seeing his 'ghost' sent her over the edge :( But she's ok now :)

I think Arthur and Merlin were more reeling from Marayna nearly dying than genuinely wanting to kill Gwen :( They definitely managed to keep from turning on her though ;)

Oh Morgause will get quite the smack down for everything very soon ;) Nothing was done because they really had no idea what enchantment Gwen was under. Being in a magic-hating kingdom and being royals now they had to be very careful with time and not getting caught, which didn't leave much time to work it out :( Good thing the Druids had an idea ;)

You never know, there's always hope for Morgana or Gwen to have a girl ;)

I honestly wasn't planning a baby #3 till I was writing, Gaius sort of just went off on his own and that was what came from it :( We'll have to wait and see if Morgana will have a child soon, I think seeing Marayna get poisoned, and what Gwen will reveal about the real targets will sort of kick her back to the 'let's deal with Morgause first' mentality :( If she could get THAT close to Marayna and her children, Morgana may not feel safe having one just yet :( I can't say what the future holds for Aithusa just yet, but we only have a few more days left to find out ;)

Merlin was definitely a little harsh, but then again...his sister nearly died and his niece/nephew DID die, I think he has the right to be a tad upset :(


	17. A Broken Law

A Broken Law

Arthur sat in the Main Hall, on his throne, deep in thought. Even now, after so long, after years of being king, it still felt odd to him to think of, that it was HIS throne now. In his mind, it would always be his father's throne and maybe that was it? The throne was his father's, it was Uther's, it represented everything he was trying to change about HIS kingdom, the kingdom he wanted his son to inherit.

William was such a small boy, only 3 years old and learning more and more every day. He tried his best to shield his son from the horrors of the Purge the boy's grandfather sparked. HE didn't even know the full extent of the horror that it was. He'd been a baby in his cradle while the largest portions of the Purge were going on. He didn't have Gaius's memory, or even Morgana's, to remember seeing people burned at the stake, or hung, or executed, the large numbers of people dragged before the masses of Camelot. He didn't know the terror they felt, the fear his people had lived in while his father hunted down every single shred of magic just to appease his own guilt.

It was no wonder Morgana had been so silent about her magic, till her hand was forced. He remembered, being a small boy, and hearing her screaming in terror from nightmares. Not visions, true nightmares, memories. Uther would rush to her side, Gaius with him, and the king would leave his daughter in the capable hands of the physician. He'd be hiding in a small spot, behind a door or changing screen and he'd listen. He had memories of Morgana weeping in Gaius's arms about the people that had burned. His young mind had only heard sorcerer and execution and thought it just, thought his father was just protecting the kingdom. He had no early memories of truly terrible executions, of being as traumatized as Morgana was, she was older than him by a few years, she could remember what he couldn't.

Morgana had grown up in terror, she was the embodiment of what his people likely felt. And Gaius? The poor man had had to stand by through so much, watch his friends and peers dying around him and knowing only his friendship with Uther had spared him. His father was NOT perfect by any stretch of the imagination, he knew that. He was biased, prejudiced, bitter, and hypocritical. He would execute someone with a whisper of magic, yet Gaius had practiced it in front of him and he'd turned the other way to it. He was deaf to arguments, hardly ever gave a fair trial, to get someone pardoned was like pulling teeth and it just…it was not the kingdom he wanted.

He wanted to be a better man than his father, for his wife, for his son, for his family and his people. Seeing Gwen fall prey to foul magic had struck him hard. She had been there from the beginning, she was the first person that Marayna and Merlin had told about their magic, the first person to accept them besides Gaius and to see her under the thrall of such evil enchantments…broke their hearts. It broke Gwen's heart as well, knowing all she'd done and nearly sone. She'd gone to Merlin, Marayna, and Morgana, even Mordred, to request if they had any sort if memory spell they could use on her like Uther had, just to forget what she'd done because the guilt was eating away at her, but they'd talked with her about it and forgiven her, though he'd noticed that, of all people, Merlin seemed to have just a slightly harder time saying it than the others. He didnt think Gwen had forgiven herself though but Lancelot was helping her through it.

He'd realized as he saw them struggling to try and cure her, to try and find a counter beyond magic just how hard it was for them to live as they were, to research in secret. They could have easily helped Gwen within seconds, they HAD helped her, his wife had healed her so quickly, rid her of the evil plaguing her.

With Magic.

A magic they tried to avoid using. And it was HIS fault, his father's fault really but it was equally HIS fault too. He hadn't done enough to temper his father, to argue against magic being evil, he'd fallen under the delusions of it being black and white himself. He, despite his promises, hadn't fulfilled his promise to truly start changing the laws no matter how much he tried. Every time he wanted to, something happened, or some new enemy attacked, or some new beast was sent at them and he knew the people would turn against him, would revolt if he tried to change the laws. But it had gone too far. When magic could counter magic and the first thought of the person with the magic was to NOT use it…something was very wrong.

This bias, this threat on the lives of his family was NOT something he wanted to see happen, this was not how he wanted his son raised.

William had magic, Rosaline might as well, he'd noticed a few…odd things happening around her. But William he DID have magic. He'd walked in on his wife enough times telling him not to use his magic, to hide it, with the most heartbroken expression on her face and he knew it was because of him. She had hoped, by the time they had a child, if they had a child, that the laws would be changed enough for him or her to grow up, free of fear of execution merely for making a dolly dance or a small trinket move. His wife was terrified for their son, and so was he. He didn't want this for his boy, he knew Marayna didn't either. She wanted her child free, free to grow in a way she and Merlin hadn't. They'd lived all their lives, even more now, in fear of being discovered with magic, of being executed, of leaving their children orphaned. She had lived all her life like that…and it was breaking her heart to see her son facing the same fate.

William was, thankfully, too young to realize WHY he needed to hide his magic, he didn't know the consequences. In the last few years they had managed to help sorcerers escape the dungeons mysteriously, managed to prove the innocence of others, there had been no major executions in a while and…there was really no reason for him to not start to fulfill his promise.

This reign of terror his father had started, it was spreading to him now. He had always felt it was his destiny to be the friend of his people instead of the tyrant they feared. He wanted their respect and love and loyalty because he had proven himself to be respectful, loving, and loyal to THEM. And this…this was benefitting no one that he hadn't acted yet.

There was no reason to delay any longer. There had been no major attacks magically that they hadn't been able to keep from the people, no executions, no threats, it had to be the best time to introduce the changes in the laws and it was about time too.

He wanted his son to see a future and a kingdom where he would not only be accepted but be a bridge between two worlds, more so than his mother was. They represented the union of mortal and magic, their son was the product of it, he was the proof that it could coexist and that it could be PURE. No one could look into William's eyes and claim he was evil, that boy…he had his mother's eyes, more so it seemed to have a bit more Merlin in his expressions though, his eyes were so wide and innocent and pure…he just…

He nodded to himself, he needed to do this for his family and for their future.

~8~

The worst possible situation Arthur or any of his close court could image happening, did. As he sat on his throne, his wife beside him, William sitting on the small steps that led down the floor, the doors flew open. Merlin sat on Marayna's right, Morgana on his own left, with Gwen standing to the side with Gaius, but closer to the throne than others, signifying her importance at court, Lancelot beside her with a few of the other knights, Gwaine, Percival, Leon, and Mordred of course.

They were all pulled out of their thoughts when they saw what was happening before them.

A little boy, barely a year older than William, was being dragged in, his mother and father screaming for mercy behind him as they were pulled before the king and queen themselves.

"Uncle," Marayna gasped, gesturing for William to come to her, the boy rushing to her as she handed him off to Gaius to get him out of the room, placing Rosaline in Gwen's arms for the woman to rush her out of there as well, all of them knowing what this meant for the guards to interrupt court like that.

"What is the meaning of this?" Arthur stood to his full height.

"My Lord," one of the guards bowed, the other holding the sobbing, terrified boy back, by the arm, "We caught him, My Lord, practicing magic."

The court behind them started to whisper at that, staring at the little boy and then to the king as Arthur paled.

This was…happening faster than he'd hoped, he didn't want this to happen now, he hadn't had time to change the law and make an announcement about it and now…this little boy, under Uther's laws, would be forced to be executed.

"Please majesty!" the boy's mother sobbed, falling to her knees and begging him, "Please, mercy!"

"He's just a boy," the father pleased, "He's just a wee boy. He didn't mean no harm!"

Arthur looked out at his court, all them watching what he would do now. He swallowed and looked back at Merlin who was stone-faced but rigid, a stance he remembered seeing far too often on Gaius whenever others would be brought in for 'trial.' It was a face he'd seen on the rare cases older peasants would be brought in on claims of magic and sorcery. Merlin, being a 'prince' of Camelot, he could argue, he could fight back against his king, but it was bad form to do it publicly, especially not when his reign was still considered new.

But he knew the wheels were turning in Merlin's head, the man working out how to get the boy free if anything happened.

He shifted his glance to Morgana, the woman doing a lesser job of keeping her face neutral. She was openly concerned and distressed, tears falling from her eyes as she hid her mouth behind her hand, shaking her head as she stared at the boy. He saw her glance drift to Mordred and he knew she was remembering when the boy had nearly been killed for being a Druid, he'd been older than this boy was, but…still a child. She'd helped him then but now, in such a public area…she couldn't. Because Arthur wasn't Uther, he wasn't her unknown father and just the king, but her brother AND her king.

He let out a soft breath and turned his attention to his wife. Marayna was the only one of the three to meet his gaze, looking up at him, stiff, tears in her eyes and a message in them.

'Don't do it.'

She was seeing their son, he knew, she was seeing their boy being dragged before them, people demanding execution due to the laws. He was a child, he was a boy, he was scared and confused and probably had no control over his magic at all and the laws would see him dead. She was asking him not to do it, not to sentence this boy to the pyre as the laws would call for, or to drowning as Uther would have done.

He offered her a small smile and reached out, touching her cheek as she lifted her hand to his. He turned his hand, taking her own and bringing it to his lips, "Trust me," he whispered to her.

She swallowed but nodded, and he knew it was killing her to say nothing. That was his queen, the spitfire, the one who would jump to her feet and argue with him right in the middle of everyone till she either got her way or understood his reasons for things. He loved that, that she didn't let him get away with anything even in front of his people, he wanted them to see the pair of them as a partnership and not him having control of his wife or her being meek. He wanted them to see she would just as easily fight for them as he would.

For her to be silent and allow him this…it HAD to be him. When the time came for her magic to be revealed, the laws that related to sorcery and magic couldn't come from her. This…this had to be ARTHUR's doing as it was HIS father's laws that were in effect.

"What magic was it?" Arthur turned to the guards.

"We are unsure sire," the guard holding the child answered, "We were on patrol and saw the boy's eyes flash with magic."

Arthur nodded, he knew, right there his own law would have been perfect to have, it would have demanded for the evidence of foul intent to be present in whatever happened. He looked down at the boy a moment. The poor lad's face was red from crying, he was shaking, he seemed so tiny and scared and the grip the guard had on him was likely to bruise, "Bring him forward," he ordered.

The guard half shoved the boy on, only his grip keeping the boy from tripping when he stumbled in his moving, leading him right before the thrones, just a foot or two away from the bottom of the small steps.

Arthur held up a hand to stop the guard and gestured with a turn of his wrist for the man to step back. The guard hesitated for only a moment before doing so, giving Arthur a half-bow, and leaving the boy standing there before the king in terror.

Arthur eyed the boy a moment longer before he made his way down the steps right before the boy, who bowed his head. Arthur offered him a half-smile and knelt down before the boy, causing more whispers around the room and a small smile to appear on Marayna's face, he did the same with William when the boy was being scolded. Arthur reached out and gently lifted the boy's chin to face him, the boy sucking in a breath to come eye-to-eye (or near enough) with the king of Camelot.

"I'm Arthur," he offered, "May I ask your name?"

"Fre…Fred…Fredrick," the boy whimpered.

"Fredrick," Arthur nodded, "That is a fine name," the boy started to frown, clearly confused, having heard tell of the king and what it meant to be before him for magic, this…was not what anyone was expecting, "I have to ask you Fredrick, what were you doing when you used this magic the guards saw?"

Fredrick looked at his parents, a sign to the court that the parents knew of his magic and had likely hid it, but the young couple seemed completely stunned that their son was still alive and hadn't been struck down or something.

"Fredrick?" Arthur called his attention back.

The boy swallowed, shifting, "I…was…I was trying to…to make Melia laugh."

"And Melia is?"

Fredrick stiffened, turning back to his parents, frightened that he'd just said something that could get someone else in trouble.

"Madam?" Arthur glanced at the woman.

"My…my daughter," she whispered, "Just born last month…Amelia."

Arthur nodded and crossed his arm over his one bent knee, making Fredrick jump at the move and turn back to him with wide eyes, "She is your sister then."

Fredrick nodded, "Yes...king Arthur."

Arthur smiled and leaned in a little bit, "I have a sister too you know," he whispered thought he court could hear him, "She's older than me though," he nodded back towards Morgana who was starting to smile as well, "I could never get her to laugh though…not unless I was getting hurt, tripping or making a mess when I ate," Fredrick still looked a little unsure why he was being told this, so he continued, "And my wife," he nodded in the other direction, "She's a younger sister, like Amelia is. And I'm sure her brother did an incredible job entertaining her, didn't you Merlin?"

Merlin chuckled, starting to smile widely, seeing that this was NOT going to happen at all like they'd feared, "It was my job," he agreed.

"It's your job to look after your sister too, isn't it Fredrick?" Arthur asked him.

"Y-yes," Fredrick nodded, "Mum…mummy and daddy told me to…to be a good big brother."

"And have you been?"

"I try," he nodded again, more rapidly than the last one, "I just…I'm the only one can make her laugh."

"Using magic?" Arthur got them back to point.

Fredrick looked down, "Yes," he whispered, and the courts started to whisper as well.

"How do you make her laugh?" Arthur inquired, "What do you do?"

"I…I…" Fredrick glanced at his parents, his father eyeing Arthur a moment with…hope in his eyes, before he took a breath and gave Fredrick a nod, the boy turning back to the king, "I make the…the flowers mummy gets dance."

Arthur smiled at that, "Is that what you were doing when the guards saw you?"

Fredrick shook his head, "I was making faces at her. I…I wanted my hair to stick up."

Arthur blinked, "You used magic to make your hair stick up."

"Yes King Arthur," he bowed his head, "I broked the law."

"Yes," Arthur sighed, "You did, I'm afraid," he could see the parents stiffen in the corner of his eye as Fredrick winced, everyone knowing what the punishment for that was, "But you know, _I_ have broken the law as well. And quite a few rules. And quite a few orders from my father as well," he smiled, "I would do it again in a heartbeat if it were the right thing to do because…my father, he was a strong king, but he was NOT always right about everything."

Silence fell.

Arthur took a breath and stood, looking back to see Merlin, Morgana, and Marayna's eyes were wide, though he was focusing more on his wife's than anything, there was a glimmer of hope in it. He winked at her before he turned back to address the people. He pulled out his sword, the little boy flinching, thinking he was about to be executed right there, but Arthur turned the sword in his hands, laying it flat across both of them and looking out at the court.

"A sword, in the hands of a knight," he began, "Is one of the greatest tools of good, meant for protection and defense, for the preservation of peace in the kingdom, the safety of the people. However," he continued, "In the hands of a bandit or a raider, it can be used to cause fear, spread hatred, end lives, attack," he looked down at his sword, "It is the wielder of the sword who determines the fate of how it is used, whether for good or evil," he took a breath and looked at the court, "I have come to believe that…magic is no different."

The court started to murmur among themselves, staring at their king, some in shock, some in horror, some in fear, some in…relief.

"I cannot have every sword in the kingdom banned merely for the potential it could be used for," he continued, speaking over the din, forcing the people quiet by the sheer authority and power in his voice, "I cannot expect every force to close, every armory to hand over every weapon, simply because it could be used to hurt someone else. I cannot have every knight stripped of their title and sent to the executioner's block simple because they wielded a sword. Nor have a blacksmith condemned for making it. Nor, do I think, would any of you wish to be left so defenseless against the enemies of Camelot and I do not speak of those with magic but those who wish harm…"

"Are they not the same!?" a voice cried from the crowded court room.

"I have many mortal enemies," Arthur spoke calmly, "Those who would wish to harm me with a sword, those who possess no magic at all. And…" he hesitated before he nodded to himself, "I have seen those with magic who have no grudge against Camelot, who merely pass through our very kingdom and make no trouble. I do not believe that every single person who possesses magic could possibly mean harm against our kingdom."

"But sire…" one of his own knights, not the ones who knew of the magic already there, spoke, "Many have attacked…"

"And how many of them, could you name, attacked solely for the purpose of wanting the kingdom for themselves?" he countered, looking around, "Could you name a single one? Or could you rather name those who wished to avenge their family that were cut down by my father? I fear you could name more of them. Or perhaps you could name those who wished to see my father off the throne BECAUSE he wages war against magic when magic did not strike first? I speak now to any of you who were old enough before the Purge to remember the Camelot that was…could any of you remember a single instance of magic being used to attack or harm Camelot, before my father's edict?"

The court was silent, which seemed to shock quite a few of the 'younger generation', the ones that were born after the Purge or too close to it for them to remember what Camelot was like.

"I have scoured the records of Camelot and found that magic existed IN Camelot before the Purge began, that Camelot thrived, that it was prosperous and peaceful and safe during that time."

"But King Uther…" one of the younger women of the court.

"My father…suffered a great loss when my mother passed," he said, opening the old wound, but if it would help explain his father's actions, if it would help show the people the truth…he would tell them as close to the truth as he could, "My mother was fading after I was born and he turned to a sorceress for healing magic," it was a lie, but even now he couldn't bring himself to bring up the real reason why the Purge began. It was too soon, if the people found out he was born from magic, it would be chaos, but he could get close to the truth, "He did not, though, seek out a designated healer. Yes, healers," he nodded, "They used their magic to help the sick and wounded once," he looked around, "He grabbed a powerful sorceress to help her, but the sorceress failed. She tried, she gave him what he wanted for a time, but my mother faded and he blamed the sorceress instead of himself for not doing the right thing in the first place."

The crowd was whispering now, but not quite as outraged as before.

"My father made a mistake, he lost himself in his grief and his grief led to the grief of others. More and more people suffered as he tried to assuage his own. He put blame where it was not due and too many have suffered for it. I will NOT see it happen again," he said this firmly and could see the hope shining in the eyes of that little boy's parents, "Could you condemn a magic-user for healing land and allowing farmers to grow more crops? Could you condemn a healer for saving the life of a knight wounded in action? Could any of you condemn a child for trying to use magic to make a baby laugh? I know I cannot. I look at this boy," he looked at him, "And I think…if it were my son William, if he were merely trying to entertain his sister…is that not a child's love? A brother's love for his sibling to want them happy? To do everything they can to see them smile? How is that evil? When what he did brought joy to another?"

He swallowed hard.

"I have been thinking, for many years, as the magical threat to the kingdom diminished," he reminded them of the fact there had been no executions for magic in the kingdom for nearly 3 years now, "That my father, while a wise man, and while a man who would do anything to protect his kingdom…did NOT do what he could to protect his people."

"But sire!" one of the older council members cried, "Uther cherished this kingdom."

"He did," Arthur agreed, "But the KINGDOM and not the people in it. Many of those who died in the purge were his own subjects, were children, were friends. He turned his back on the people he was meant to protect and so…" he rose to his full height, "As I am King, and I have sworn a sacred oath to protect my people and to do what I believe in my heart is best for them, I officially decree a change to the laws regarding magic."

He held up his hand as cries of protest came from the crowd.

"I am NOT removing them," he assuaged, "I am change them, to reflect the fairness I believe everyone deserves. Do we not give even the most despicable of criminals a fair trial?" he looked around, "Can any of you, no matter when you were born, remember a time where someone with magic received such a thing? A time where they had a fair and just trial? Or can you recall my father hearing the word 'magic' and condemning them to death? My father speaking to them, but ignoring evidence and many other oaths on behalf of the accused and sentencing them to the pyre? My father was a good man, but he was blinded by his own prejudice. I will NOT have that in my kingdom. As my wife said when we were crowed," he smiled back at her, seeing tears in her eyes at what he was doing, "The sun has set on my father's reign, and now it has risen on mine," he looked back at them, "I want this to be a new dawn on Camelot, a new light to be cast over our kingdom that has suffered for too long in the shadows."

He held up his head, "From this day forward, those with magic, upon discovery, shall ONLY be brought to trial if they have been discovered to have used it to harm, to kill, or for any other foul purpose," he looked around, "To use it for the betterment of others, to help, to heal, to protect," he looked down at the boy staring up at him in awe, "A benign and innocent purpose…shall be allowed," he looked at the court again, "I will have people stand trial only for actively HARMING someone else with magic. I will NOT see someone killed merely for possessing it just as I would not see a knight killed merely for holding a sword," he took one more breath, "The Druids stand as an example that people can be BORN with magic, they have NO say in whether they possess it or not. They have no more choice in it than I do in being the son of a king or being royal."

He nodded, giving the decree that would change everything.

"So long as no harm is done…magic shall no longer be persecuted in Camelot."

~8~

Arthur stood at the window of his rooms later that night, staring out at the kingdom. Word would be spreading soon through the kingdom and the villages that his decree would be enacted come sunrise. A new dawn truly would settle over Camelot. The people would wake to town criers explaining his new decision, to those with the ability to read reading the edicts that would be posted everywhere. Word would spread and…

And he was scared.

He could admit it. What he was doing was dangerous. It was SO dangerous and he hadn't spoken it over with anyone but himself and his thoughts. He didn't want to put that pressure on his wife or friends. They had lived so long not being allowed to use magic that he knew they would feel obligated to tell him to not change the laws just yet, though they were dying to. He couldn't make them feel torn between his people and their own any longer. It had been one reason they hadn't wanted to tell him of their magic, to not make him feel like he was betraying his father by keeping their secret. But he was doing the same to them, he was forcing them to betray their people by standing at his side as the law remained unchanged. But no longer. By the morning…everything would be different.

He smiled, feeling Marayna step behind him, wrapping her arms around him, he could feel her smiling into his back as well.

"I'm so proud of you sire," she murmured, "It took…amazing bravery to do what you did."

"No," he shook his head, "It took me finally being a good human being to do it," he turned in her arms to wrap his own around hers, "Would it be terrible to ask you and the others not to use magic just yet?" he looked at her hesitantly, "I have just issued the edict and if they see that you and Merlin and Morgana have had magic all along…"

"We understand," she nodded, "Things are…going to be very tricky for a while, aren't they?" she sighed, before smiling, "But you've done it…" she let out a breath and he could see tears in her eyes, "You really did it."

He reached out and touched her cheek, "I said I would," he murmured, "I swore I would. And I did," he leaned in and kissed her gently, "You're free."

"No," she breathed, "You've freed ALL of us Arthur," she looked at him, "Thank you."

Arthur just smiled and pulled her into his arms, hugging her tightly, he could only hope that, come what may, he had made the right choice to do this now.

A/N: Mostly a bit of a filler chapter as we only really have a couple of 'scenes' to go through. We'll definitely feel the result of Arthur's decision in the next few chapters }:)

And I want to apologize :( I mentioned yesterday that I'd try to do a double whammy today to make up for Friday, my mother decided to spring on me last night the fact that we're both supposed to go to my sister's college's 'Family Day' today from 1 till about 7pm. I won't have access to a computer for the rest of the day so I can't get the second chapter up. I've repeatedly asked my parents to give me at least 2 days of warning before they do things like promise I'll be somewhere. I mean, of course, I'll go, it's Family Day and she's graduating this year (^-^) but I would have liked to have been able to know that with more than 15 hours notice :( To make matters worse, I got a new computer yesterday (yay!) but when I went to hook it up, they gave me the wrong wire for the monitor and none of the ones in my house were compatible. And with it being Sunday and the Blue Laws in my county, I had to drive to a different one just to get the right cable to get the monitor up so that I could see what I was doing :( I just got back about 15 minutes ago and I have to leave in 15 minutes -sigh- I really am starting to think April is a cursed month for me, hopefully May will be better :)

But that means the double whammy will have to be postponed to probably Tuesday sorry :( But it WILL happen ;)

Some notes on reviews...

Yup, OUAT will be up the same day Merlin ends which will be about May 2nd if all goes to plan :)


	18. The Kindness of Strangers

The Kindness of Strangers

"I still can't believe it," Morgana breathed as she stood in hers and Merlin's chambers one night, looking out at Camelot, his arms wrapped around her waist, his chin on her shoulder. She had to laugh, like sister like brother, she often saw Marayna doing the same and couldn't help but feel like it was something they both must have seen growing up, their mother hugging them from behind as they sat on her lap or something. She loved it.

"I know," Merlin nodded, grinning widely, he actually hadn't stopped grinning since Arthur had made the decree about magic.

"It's…odd though," Morgana mused, "It's almost like nothing's changed," she sighed, "But I don't know what I expected to happen, that people would just start flocking to Camelot and magic would be flowing in the streets proving how good it could be?"

"I used to dream of that," Merlin admitted, "Walking through the streets with children flocking over to me and entertaining them with magic, out in the open, and…"

She turned in his arms when he trailed off, "And?"

"And you," he smiled at her, touching her cheek, "There with me, smiling and playing with them too. Like we do when we tell them stories, but…visible. And people are smiling at you and how beautiful you are," he gave her a gentle kiss.

"Do you think people WILL come though?" she looked at him when they pulled apart, "It's been weeks and…it's like people are being even more careful about their magic."

"None of them want to be the first to test if it's a trap or not," Merlin reasoned.

They'd feared that would happen, that those with magic would either think it was a trap and avoid using magic at all, or that they'd want to test it but in a big way…like set off magical fireworks in the shape of a dragon and test whether they'd be killed for it. But after so many years of Uther's terror, none of the magic-users were willing to find out.

"I've spoken to Aya," he began slowly, "She was thinking, that if nothing happens, if no one tries anything soon…perhaps…"

"WE should do something?" Morgana guessed.

He sighed, "It could be worse for Arthur though, NO ONE could possibly expect him to not know about his wife having magic. They may fear that it was treachery or something, that he was lying to them by hiding that from them. That he was an enemy of Camelot because he hid that from his father. There are…more complications than we could think of if WE are the first."

"I know," Morgana nodded, "But…so far…the people seem to be doing…as well as can be expected."

They were…hopeful, given that the people seemed more confused at the change in laws than angry. They had done all they could to spread the word to the Druids and all the other hidden magic users in Camelot the reason WHY the change came about. How a little boy had made his hair stick up to help make his sister laugh. THAT was the key, spreading that out there, using those they had hidden about that had gained the trust of people, to tell them the reasons behind the change. The little boy and Arthur's metaphor of magic being merely a tool like a sword. Many of the towns people had been at the mercy of attacking enemies, they remembered all too well the men with swords attacking…yet they didn't shun the knights of Camelot for also using the swords to protect them.

It was a start, it was a hope that maybe this confusion, if they could give them more examples of good magic…might be just what they needed. Poor Fredrick was too scared to use his magic though, even being spared, they spoke to the boy's parents at times but Fredrick used his magic ONLY when he was safely in his home and not around his neighbors again.

"It might be that one day though," Merlin smiled at her.

"Soon, I hope," Morgana sighed, leaning in to lay her head on his shoulder, "I want to be able to walk in the daylight with you, the two of us being ourselves."

"I do too," he agreed, kissing her hair as he held her.

~8~

A council meeting was called later the next day. It had been an average day to begin, but ordinary never seemed to last, though all of them were grateful that it wasn't an outcry against magic that had caused it, but rather an attack on an allied city that Leon was reporting to them.

"Two days ago the city of Helva was attacked," Leon began, "Only a handful of people managed to escape."

"Who is responsible?" Arthur frowned.

"At first we assumed it was the Saxons. They've been active in that area before, but the refugees tell a different story. They say…" he hesitated to add more, knowing that what he had to say next would not help their efforts to restore good magic to the kingdom, "Magic was involved."

"Which means Morgause then," Marayna sighed.

"The evidence suggests so, my Lady," Leon nodded.

"Strengthen the garrison," Arthur ordered, "Double the patrol on the border."

"Why would Morgause attack Helva?" Merlin frowned at that.

"She must have her reasons."

"But it's one of the places where magic is practiced freely," Morgana agreed.

"Why would she attack her own people?" even Gwen was disturbed by that idea, "It makes no sense."

"Unless she's finally gone off the deep end," Marayna shrugged, making Mordred let out a little laugh and she could swear she heard him mumble something about going off a cliff.

"Sire," Lancelot approached them as the council started to disperse, "There was one thing more…" he glanced at the other men before he pulled out a medallion from his pocket, "I found this on the patrol when we were helping those who escaped," he added, having been one of the men who'd been there with Leon, "I believe it bears the markings of the Old Religion."

"Gaius," Arthur called before the man could leave, "If you wouldn't mind a word?"

Gaius nodded and headed over to them, silently taking the medallion as Arthur handed it to him, "The workmanship is undeniable," he remarked, "See how the pattern repeats itself. It's from Helva. But…" he sighed, looking at the magic users there, "Can you sense it?"

"Vaguely," Mordred nodded for them all, "There's a strong, but subtle magic in it."

"Is there anything else on the marker?" Arthur eyed it, "A name? A date?"

"Not that I can see," Gaius shook his head and handed it back, "It's a fine piece. No one would part with it willingly."

"Perhaps there was a fight for it then?" Percival suggested as he came over with Gwaine.

"But the only one who would want it would be Morgause," Gwaine frowned, "Which would mean she's made her way within the Camelot's borders."

"There was also this," Leon offered Gaius a small scrap of papers, "I could not understand the language."

"Nor would most," Gaius agreed, "It's in Catha, that's for sure."

"Catha!?" Merlin's eyes widened, immediately tense and on alert, "What does it say?" he couldn't read it just yet, Alator had only had his people just start to teach him the language of the Catha.

"It's been so long since I heard the language, never mind read it. There's part of a signature here…" he frowned, trailing off.

"Whose is it?" Morgana grabbed Merlin's arm, giving it a squeeze in support.

Gaius looked at Merlin, solemn, "Alator. That's why Morgause attacked Helva. Alator was the prize she was after."

"Why would she attack a village of magic and hurt them so just for one man?" Gwen frowned.

"There can only be one reason. To have him reveal who Emrys is."

"Alator would never betray me," Merlin shook his head.

"Nor would uncle," Marayna reminded him, "But Morgause is desperate if she's willing to kill magic-users now…who knows what she'll try on Alator," she ran a hand through her hair before turning to go warn Benedict to keep a tighter watch on the children and send a message to those in the woods to watch out for Morgause amongst the trees.

~8~

Gwen was walking through the market, looking at the little odds and ends that were scattered on the various tables, looking for a little gift for the others. She still felt SO guilty over what she'd done. She wished they would have cast that spell on her, made her forget what she'd nearly done to Camelot, how she'd nearly betrayed them all. But it was something to be learned from and something that would make her stronger in the future. Still, she was trying harder than ever to be an asset to her friends once more, to make up for all the harms she'd done. She'd told Marayna about the rhubarb, how Morgause had originally wanted her to poison the children and, once that had been said…Merlin had actually hugged her. She'd noticed that he was a little more distant with her than normal, even after the curse on her broke. So that hug meant the world to her even if she didn't understand why.

She…she still had nightmares of it all, of killing Tyr especially. Her friends understood, they knew it wasn't really her, but for that boy to die, for her to have…to have stabbed him in the stomach and have him die thinking she was a traitor…it broke her heart. Thankfully her wonderful husband was there with her, he woke and he'd comfort her no matter what. She loved him so much and her love for him was proven when the spell broke.

She turned, feeling someone grab her arm and spotted an old woman there, "Be still," the woman pleaded, "I…I have seen your token," she glanced down at a small handkerchief just barely sticking out of Gwen's pocket, embroidered with the ward to keep her from being scried on sticking out. Most would think it a design to go with the pattern at the corner of the cloth, but to those who knew magic, it was a beacon that she was someone to seek out if need be to speak of a subject like that.

"I am glad," Gwen smiled, "How might I help you?"

The woman looked at her, "I am Finna, I…am a Bendruy, a…a priestess of the Old Religion."

Gwen tensed, more so because she could hear people around her stop and stare, all of them seeming to be tensing and holding their breath to see what would happen next.

"I have been told that…that it is safe, to be here," she started glancing around, nervous as well, "That I shall…I shall not be harmed if I harm none?'

Gwen smiled and nodded, "That is the king's edict, yes."

The woman let out a breath, seeing the guards themselves had made no move to apprehend her, "Please," she gripped Gwen's hand, "I must speak with the king, it is a matter of great urgency."

"I…I am not sure he will be able to take visitors today," Gwen began, knowing that Arthur had wanted this day to be for him and William, to teach him a bit more of the actual basics of sword fighting, she'd hate to interrupt that…

"Please, it is a matter of the Catha."

Gwen straightened, the people starting to whisper as they noted the recognition in her eyes, "Come with me," she turned and led the woman off, ignoring the stares and whispers of the people, knowing this would likely spread to every part of Camelot that a magic-user was being escorted, peacefully, to their king…and she knew, if Morgause was within the borders, she'd hear of it as well.

She had to be quick.

~8~

Arthur entered the Main Hall to see Marayna already there, with Gaius, Morgana, and Merlin, Gwen standing beside an old woman, with Gaius off to the side, Lancelot there as well. He'd been with William in the training yard with Mordred, teaching him how to use a sword, when they'd gotten word he was needed in the Main Hall. He had dropped William off with Benedict and rushed there with Mordred, the two of them entering.

'Magic,' Gwen mouthed to him and he nodded.

"Leave us," he called to the guards posted at the doors, they hesitated, clearly not wanting to leave him with a priestess of the Old Religion…he had to laugh inwardly at that, imagine if they found out his own wife was the HIGH Priestess, "Now," he added and the guards left.

Marayna waited till the doors were closed before she moved over to the old woman's other side, "Welcome to Camelot," she smiled at the woman.

Finna gave a deep bow, "Thank you, High Priestess."

"Gwen said you have word of the Catha," Merlin began, "Do you know of Alator?"

"Yes," the woman nodded, "I have also come with a warning, first and foremost," she looked at them, "The great battle is nearing," she recited, making them all stiffen, knowing about the vision Merlin and Morgana had had of the battle that Arthur would fall in, "You must listen to me," she pleaded, "Your enemies, sire," she looked at Arthur, "They are closer than you think."

"May I ask how you've come by this knowledge?" Arthur inquired, stepping closer.

"She is of the Bendruy, sire," Gaius remarked, "Before the time of the Great Purge girls would be chosen at birth for the priesthood. They would be taken away from their families and brought up as initiates in the Old Religion."

"I thought Mara was the only High Priestess," he frowned.

"She is," Gaius nodded, "There can be only one to lead the others, however Nine others were chosen to be the priestesses of the different realms. Ordinary gifts were not enough. Only those possessed with exceptional magical power could ever hope to be one of the nine. But do not underestimate this woman's abilities or her knowledge. All Bendruy are practiced in potent magic."

They were all silent, Mordred shifting and looking down, knowing that the woman was referring to him, the little look she'd sent at him when she'd brought up his 'enemies' being closer than they thought had struck him in the gut.

"And what of Alator?" Morgana asked, "How do you know him?"

"He is my master," the woman remarked, "Alator of the Catha. He sends you this warning as the fate of Camelot rests in the balance. Only you," she looked at the trio of Morgana, Marayna, and Merlin, "Can ensure the great triumph of the Once and Future King."

"Then…Alator is well?" Lancelot inquired.

"I fear not," the woman shook her head, "I was one of the few who escaped the siege on Helva. I saw my master being taken by Morgause. I know not where he is though I have scried for him endlessly," she looked down, "I fear his time may soon draw to an end."

"The Catha have always been known for their secrecy," Gaius remarked, "Why speak of this now."

"You are correct, the woman nodded, "For hundreds of years the Catha have guarded their ancient knowledge. But now the time has come to pass it on to you," she looked at the trio once more, "For only you can carry their hopes into the great battle itself."

"And how do we do that?" Marayna shook her head.

"With this," Finna stepped forward, pulling a small wooden box out of her cloak, "Guard it carefully. It will help you in the dark days to come."

"Thank you," Morgana nodded.

"There's something else," Finna paused, "Something Alator himself wanted me to tell you. Do not trust the Druid boy."

"You know," Marayna cut in, seeing Finna narrowing her eyes at Mordred, the boy looking down, as though expecting banishment right at that moment, "It wasn't too long ago that a rather overgrown lizard was telling my brother that his wife would be one of the darkest sorceresses to ever live…" she glanced at Morgana, "And now she's a princess of Camelot, married, a HEALER," she looked back at Finna, "We shall see what the future holds ourselves and we will trust whomever we feel deserves it," she stepped over to Mordred and put her arm around his shoulder, "And I trust my baby brother with the lives of my children, I certainly trust him with the life of my husband."

"It's the same logic that kept us alive," Merlin agreed, moving to stand by Mordred as well, the poor boy looking nearly shocked, but secretly pleased they were staying with him, "If we had meant to kill Arthur, we'd have done it YEARS ago…tempting as it was. Mordred's had plenty of time to do anything…and he has done nothing but protect Arthur with his life."

Arthur nodded, "I trust him," he added, Marayna having told him about Mordred's role in Merlin and Morgana's vision, "I do not believe that Camelot will fall at Mordred's hand. And I do not believe it is your place to judge him."

Marayna felt her smile start to fall at that, his words sparking a memory that she'd pushed aside in all the chaos with Gwen. When she and Merlin had swapped bodies, what Arthur had said to her about the Disir, the judgment they'd given and how it would affect the fate of Camelot. She really did have to speak to him about that, when he'd said it to her, thinking she was Merlin, it sounded far too serious and solemn to be a good judgment.

~8~

Merlin and Morgana stood in the woods that night, wanting to speak to the Dragon about Mordred, to see if, perhaps the lizard could see if his path had changed given all he'd done for Camelot, much like he'd been able to see Morgana's shifting away from darkness due to her actions as well.

"_O drakon... E male so ftengometta tesd' hup' anankes'!_" Merlin shouted and, moments later they could see the outline of him against the full moon, heading for them and landing in the clearing just before them.

"Thank you for coming," Merlin smiled at him.

"It is my pleasure, young Warlock," he greeted, "My Lady Seer."

Merlin opened his mouth to ask about Mordred when Morgana gasped, "Are you alright?!" he looked to the side to see her staring at the Dragon's wing, a wound on it, red and painful-looking.

"Of course," Kilgharrah nodded.

"But your wing..." Merlin frowned.

Kilgharrah sighed, "I am tired, Emrys, that is all. But I shall serve you as long as I have the strength."

"If you are ill, I can heal you," Morgana offered, not quite sure if it would work on a Dragon of his size, but she could try.

The Dragon smiled at her, "There are some things even a healer as great as you cannot overcome. I am old," he sighed, "My time has almost come."

"No," Merlin breathed.

"It is the cycle of life. No more, no less."

"What will I do without you?" he frowned, "What will any of us?"

"You will remember me," Kilgharrah smiled, "I hope?"

"Of course," Merlin swore.

"Now…what is it you wished to speak to me about?"

But Merlin was silent, too overcome by what he'd just learned, "Nothing," he whispered, "It isn't quite necessary to know," he nodded to himself. He didn't want to do this, not again, he'd had his fair share of being 'used' for is talents. Keeping hidden, keeping back, and only stepping forward when need arose. He didn't want to do this to Kilgharrah. They'd been trying to give him peace, calling him in to ask a question about the future, a future Morgana had admittedly not been able to see clearly, while the poor creature was dying was not kind at all.

"Please," he looked at the Dragon, "Go, and rest well, save your strength and…" he swallowed hard, "When the time comes…please call to us, and we shall come to YOU this time, and we will be with you."

Kilgharrah seemed almost near tears, if it were possible for a Dragon to cry, "I thank you with all my heart Emrys," he bowed his head before he took off once more.

Morgana turned and hugged Merlin tightly, knowing that it would be just as hard for him to lose Kilgharrah as it would be for him to lose Gaius. It had begun with Marayna having the stronger relationship with him, but once Merlin had learned of his Dragonlord history, he had truly bonded with the lizard and now both siblings were as close to him as ever.

To lose him would be a great tragedy.

~8~

Marayna, Morgana, and Merlin stood in Gaius's chambers with Gwen, looking at the box Finna had given them. The people were in a state of shock when, come morning, the very same priestess they'd seen enter the castle…left the castle, and slowly, not at a run, no guards chasing her, no word of any mysterious deaths…just…like she were delivering a message and allowed to leave. It hadn't been enough for the magic users in the kingdom to risk using their magic though, but it was the tip of proof that people would NOT be killed for merely possessing magic any longer.

Still, the box she'd left had made them all curious but they felt awkward opening it with Finna there. They wouldn't trust what was in it, having had too many experiences where an open box led to bad things and would have been prepared to destroy it at a moment's notice…something they were sure the woman wouldn't appreciate, their distrust. So they'd opted to wait till she left to do this.

Gaius looked at them, nodding, before he reached over and prepared to open the box, all of them ready to attack, Gwen even had a sword with her…when there was nothing but a bit of parchment.

"What does it say?" Gwen asked when she saw that there was writing on it.

"Is that the Catha language again?" Marayna squinted.

"Yes, yes," Gaius nodded, "Just a moment," he paused, reading it over again, "'Let loose the hounds of war. Let the dreadfire of the last priestess rain down from angry skies. For brother will slaughter brother. For friend will murder friend. As the great horn sounds a cold dawn at Camlann. The prophets do not lie. There Arthur will meet his end, upon that mighty plain.'"

Merlin sighed at that, "So many have... suffered so that I may hear this."

Morgana reached out and touched his arm, "But what it says benefits all of us to know, so we can try to stop it."

Before another word could be spoken, alarm bells went off and suddenly the doors flew open as Gwaine, Percival, Mordred, and Leon carried another knight into the room on a stretcher, laying him down on a work bench, Lancelot rushing in behind them, much to Gwen's relief.

"We got here as fast as we could," Gwaine panted.

"You did well," Gaius rushed over to try and help, "Where did this happen?"

"We found him just inside the border," Percival reported.

"Morgana, fetch me my glass please."

"Do you know what it is?" Leon frowned as Morgana handed him one to peer closely at the body, the face was disfigured.

"I fear so," he sighed, "The skin has grown across his face until he suffocated."

Arthur quickly entered the room, frowning at the sight of the knight, "Gaius?"

"The disfigurement is not as a result of disease or infection. It's the result of powerful magic. In the old days it was a punishment known as raigaid, the ultimate warning from the High Priestess to her enemies."

"Ok," Marayna muttered, a bite to her words, "Clearly getting beaten in a duel and thrown off a cliff doesn't get through Morgause's thick skull that she is NOT the High Priestess."

Arthur would have laughed at that but the sight of the dead knight was too serious. He stepped closer, putting his arm around her and looked at Gaius, "Why was this knight chosen? What had he done?"

"He had done nothing, except be a knight of Camelot," Gaius warned, "It is a warning sire. A warning to the whole kingdom. Morgause has declared war."

~8~

Marayna stood in her chambers that night, staring out the window, turning around when she heard Arthur close the door to the children's room and turn to her, "They're finally asleep," he smiled at her…but it faded when he saw the serious and sad look on her face, "What's wrong?"

"What did the Disir say?" she asked him, getting right to the point. She'd learned in trying to tell him about her pregnancy with William that the best course of action was directness, "Tell me truthfully what they said. I know it was more than you mentioned when you arrived."

Arthur sighed and looked at her, "Did Merlin tell you something?"

"No," she shook her head, "YOU did. I know you Arthur, I know when you're lying to me, and instead of casting a truth spell on you, I'd rather you tell me the truth yourself."

He nodded slowly to himself and stepped closer to her, taking her hands in his own, leading her to the edge of the bed to sit down, "Morgause tricked them," he began, "She fed them false visions, made them think that I was still persecuting the magic-users, that I had no plans to change the laws and many other travesties. Merlin and Mordred proved that wrong with their magic and association to me…but it was too late. The Disir had already passed their judgment. They felt I deserved to have my reign end, Camelot destroyed, and everything I held dear cut down before me," he swallowed hard.

"What happened?" she whispered, for clearly none of that happened.

"I managed to convince them though, to change it just slightly…the price, they warned, would be steep but I agreed to offer my life for my kingdom," he swallowed hard, not having wanted to tell her that, "And they agreed. Camelot would continue…so long as I die," he squeezed her hands.

She let out a long breath and looked down, "Those were their exact words?"

"As good as," he nodded solemnly.

"No," she shook her head and looked at him, "What were they? What were their exact words?"

Arthur frowned, but could see this was important to her, so he thought back to what the Disir had said, "That the kingdom of Camelot will rise once more and that magic, in payment, shall see the heart of the kingdom stop."

Marayna stared at him for a long moment before she felt tears come to her eyes. Arthur quickly pulled her to him, mumbling into her ear as he held her how sorry he was and how she would have to be very brave, how they couldn't risk reversing the judgment as he had to think of all his people, how one life for the sake of thousands of others was more than enough and he would gladly give up his own. He told her to think of it more that he were dying in battle, then winced as he realized what they'd just learned from Finna and how that was not the best choice of words, but to think that he'd died defending his kingdom, which he was instead of magic taking him. He held her as she felt tears fall from her eyes.

"Oh Arthur," she breathed, clinging to him tightly "What have you done?"

"I know," he murmured, holding her closer, "I'm sorry."

Marayna felt her eyes fall shut as she realized…

Arthur had no idea what the true meaning of the Disir's payment was.

A/N: I am REALLY hoping May will be better than April in terms of getting the chapters up on time :( Seems April's been really unlucky for my family too. My sister's boyfriend broke up with her yesterday so Family Day really turned into (Needing Your)Family Day :( She was really upset, as her prior boyfriend broke up with her out of nowhere and this one did the same :'( My family stayed longer than we were meant to, took her out to dinner to try and cheer her up, and caught a late movie to help and just be there for her :( I didn't get back till late and the time I'd set aside to get the chapters for today edited had to be pushed off to this morning where I also woke up with a cold (never trust the weatherman when they say it'll be warm out when going to an outdoor event...it will undoubtedly be bitterly cold and windy and start to rain slightly near the end of it) :( -sigh- On top of that, my cousin came over around noon and I've had to entertain her all day...and, of course, my parents knew this visit was planned since last week and failed to tell me till an hour before she showed up :( I've got my fingers and toes crossed that May will be better though, it's already looking up because my brother adopted a little puggle named Chip (to compliment our Beagle named Dale lol) that we're getting the end of this week, so that's a good start and my mother's birthday is near the start of it and Mother's Day too, and my sister and I graduate so that's a very good set of omens so far :)

As for this chapter...this was a bit of a tricky chapter to write as well, given that Merlin didn't have to sneak around to meet Finna. So I hope it worked :) I'm really excited for the next few chapters (I can't believe this series will be over by Friday! O.O Wow! Time flies lol.

But now that Marayna knows the truth...we'll definitely be seeing a bit of a Disir confrontation coming ;) And...the true meaning of the payment will be made clear }:)

Some notes on reviews...

I think the url got a little cut off, I'm not sure which website it's for :)


	19. The Heart of the Kingdom

The Heart of the Kingdom

Marayna stood on the battlements, her arms crossed, just looking out at the kingdom. She could feel it, all the warnings that were being given to them by various sources, the final battle, Camlann, it was coming soon wasn't it? But the Disir…their alteration to their judgment…

She closed her eyes, Arthur had no idea what he'd wagered, didn't he?

The heart of the kingdom, she knew, she knew it very easily COULD mean Arthur, he was the king, he was the leader…but too many people had referred to him as 'Courage' instead, the Bridgekeeper, the Fisher King, and they called HER heart. It made her fear terribly that it wasn't Arthur they were talking about but HER. The heart of the kingdom had to stop in order for it to continue and not to fall. She had to stop, her life would stop, her heart would stop.

THAT was what she truly felt in her heart was what the Disir meant by their warning to Arthur. They would have just said the king must fall for his kingdom to rise or something else, but to specifically say HEART? That was too much of a coincidence to her and she'd learned long ago to never ignore a coincidence. Granted, she couldn't know for sure if that was what really was on the line. It could just as easily mean William and Rosaline, they were just as much a part of the kingdom, the heart of the kingdom, the future of the kingdom, as she was…

But there it was again, wasn't it? The children would be needed for the kingdom to continue on, if they fell the kingdom would too. There would be no future. Yes, she and Arthur might be able to have another child but…she really did feel like she was just getting lucky with William and Rosaline. Her luck had a way of never lasting too long and she was afraid to try for a third child. Arthur, of course, would be needed for the future of the kingdom, if his heirs were alive, then they'd need their father to teach them how to rule a kingdom. She was rubbish at it, she was sure. If the kingdom were left to her entirely it would all go to hell in a hand basket before she could even blink.

No, her children needed their father more than her and she knew that, while Arthur could remarry and find a new queen to be a mother to her children, the people would NEVER accept any man she chose to marry (as if she'd ever consider marriage after Arthur) as the king as he would never be, not with William there…and that brought up regency and then if the man wasn't a good sort and attacked her son and just too many complications for her to think that the Disir hadn't meant her instead of Arthur.

She closed her eyes, taking a deep breath, feeling the warmth of the sun on her face. She didn't much get to come to the battlements alone to think, she was so busy with the people and the castle and the servants and her three children (yes, she did count her husband among their number at times, he took as much looking after (possibly more) as her children did) and her family and just everyone else. But right now she needed the solitude, she needed to be able to think this through and try to work out something to do.

All this time she'd been thinking that Arthur would fall in battle, been warned that Mordred would lead to his downfall…

What if it were a metaphor? Or what if that particular vision had changed? The Disir's judgment had come AFTER Merlin and Morgana saw that vision, it could easily change. No one had really said that Mordred would cut Arthur down in a battle just yet. They mentioned a battle, they mentioned beware or Mordred, they mentioned a lot of vague things but nothing really after the Disir's passing of judgment on him.

If…if it was a metaphor, as though Arthur would fall in a different way than battle…

Perhaps Camlann merely signified the start of the end, that when THAT battle happened, the fall was near. And if it was a metaphor…what if it was that Arthur would fall in terms of he'd lose something so important it would change him? He would fall and lose himself? Like Uther had.

What if SHE was the one who was really going to die and her death would seal the end of the Arthur they all knew? Arthur would never be the same if she died, nor would her brother, she knew, just as she would never be the same if Arthur died. What if the Disir changed the fate of Arthur with their judgment, passed his fate on to her instead? It WOULD be a way for the kingdom to survive and not fall, it would be a way for Arthur to 'die' without truly dying.

She'd felt it when he'd been hit by the Questing Beast's bite, she felt like a part of her was dying and it hurt, it hurt so much to think he might not wake up…if he really had died, if he ever died…she would feel like she had died as well. She knew she'd feel like a part of her soul passed with him and she would never be as happy or as at peace as she was with Arthur there.

She swallowed hard and opened her eyes, there was no use standing there speculating about it all, thinking and wondering and fretting would get her nowhere. Just because she was a queen and mother now…that didn't change anything, she was still Marayna, bastard daughter of a peasant, and she was going to find answers.

She was the true High Priestess of the Old Religion and the Disir had BETTER tell her what she wanted to know.

~8~

It was surprisingly easy to get out of Camelot, she'd discovered. It appeared she was STILL a better liar than her brother was as one small discussion with Arthur and any who passed her that she just wanted to meet the Bloodguard in the woods was enough to get her out of the castle and out of the kingdom as well. She knew she had to be quick and Bartok seemed to sense that as he ran as fast as his old legs could carry him through the woods. She just had to make it to where the Disir's cave was and she'd be able to transport herself back to Camelot after with Bartok. But the point was she had to MAKE it there first. She'd spoken with Benedict briefly to pass a message to the other Bloodguard to say that she was with them if asked.

The man hadn't been pleased to know she was heading out on her own and nearly demanded he go with her…till she gave him a look of reminder of who he was talking to and he sighed. He promised not to tell Arthur or the others where she was, but he insisted that the Bloodguard in the woods silently follow her at a distance till she returned to Camelot as it WAS their duty to ensure her safety. She could agree to that at least.

She made good time getting to the cave of the Disir, Merlin and Mordred had told them at length where the cave was located if ever they were summoned as well. She arrived before it was barely noon time and quickly tied Bartok up before striding into the cave, she didn't care for propriety or for decorum, she had far too much on her mind and after the rather large flub the Disir themselves had made about Arthur, allowing themselves to make a judgment on him without gathering all the evidence first and checking their sources, they were in no position to enforce that rubbish on her right now.

"Ladies of the Disir!" she called as she entered their cavern to see them standing by the pool of water, "Speak to me."

"Who dares enter the cave of the Disir!?" one of the women nearly screeched.

Marayna was expecting that though, according to Merlin, the Disir hadn't even recognized him as Emrys till Arthur pointed him out.

"Look how you speak to us," the second added.

"And show the respect to the mouthpiece of the Triple Goddess!" the third cried.

"I shall show you all the respect you deserve when you bow to me as High Priestess," she said, her eyes flashing with the same power that had made the Bloodguard realize her status.

The Disir stepped back, realizing who was before them and what they had said to her. While they were the mouthpiece of the Goddess, her eyes and judgment on Earth…it took three of them to rival the power that she would impress upon the earth. And there, before them was the High Priestess, the embodiment of the Goddess's power on Earth. They knew why she was there, the judgment they'd wrongly passed on her husband. They'd been expecting this…however all parties there knew that the judgment could not be removed or revoked.

Marayna was aware of that very deeply. After Arthur had explained that he'd gone to the Disir, Gaius had told them stories of the past judgments the women had made. Morgana had asked if the High Priestess could change their judgments, alter their decisions, but that was impossible. One aspect of the Goddess could not overrule another. They held the final judgment for magic-users and those who interacted with them, while she held the power and position of the Goddess's will. She could no more change the Disir's judgment as they could order her not to do something with her magic. It was a stalemate of sorts.

"My lady," the three Disir bowed to her.

She sighed, she really did hate using her status like that, but she needed them to know that she was the High Priestess and she needed them to be agreeable to tell her what she wanted to know. If her life, or her husband's, or her children, or anyone she cared about's life was on the line to protect Camelot, she wanted to know exactly what was about to be given up and who would be praying the price.

"I have been made aware of the rash judgment you passed upon my husband, the King," she began, "And of the amendment you made. I understand that a judgment cannot be revoked once made, but altered only slightly. As you did. And I understand it comes with a large price," she swallowed hard, "You told Arthur that for the kingdom to continue, its heart must stop. I ask you not to revoke the judgment, for I know you cannot, and I ask you not to try to amend it, for I know you have, I merely wish to know…" she hesitated, "Is it me?" she breathed, "Is the 'heart' of the kingdom your way of telling Arthur that I must die for Camelot to continue?"

The Disir were silent.

"Speak," she ordered.

"It is, my lady," the first Disir nodded.

"YOU are the heart of the king and his kingdom," the second agreed.

"You must fall for Camelot to rise," the third whispered.

"Sacrifice is needed for greatness to be bestowed."

"Your heart must stop."

"The battle shall happen."

"We are sorry," they spoke as one.

Marayna looked down, "So I have to die for Camelot to continue," she murmured to herself, the Disir were silent, "And Arthur, he and my children, everyone will be safe if this happens?" she looked at them.

"When the queen falls," the first started.

"All shall be well," the second nodded.

"And Camelot shall be protected ever more," the third finished.

Marayna nodded slowly, "I understand," she glanced at them, "Thank you for seeing Arthur as he truly is, and for allowing him to live."

And with that she turned to head out of the cave, the three Disir chanting behind her in what she was sure was meant to be a mock, "Long live the Queen!"

~8~

Marayna made her way first and foremost to the nursery of the castle, to their little private nursery where William and Rosaline slept and played, where Benedict often kept guard on them. The man would never ever admit it out loud to anyone, but he loved those children and, more than once, she'd walked in on him laughing and smiling and playing with them. Which was not something one would expect from the head of the Bloodguard, it really had nearly given Arthur a heart attack when he'd stumbled upon the sight of Benedict on the ground with Rosaline coloring on his face with small bits of colored paints that William had, the boy watching his sister more than participating to make sure she didn't try to eat them or get them too much on herself. That was such a sweet boy to watch his sister like that. It was always fun to try and sneak up on Benedict and see him in the act of playing. He was always so stiff and serious when he was in his protector mode, when he was being seen by others and wanted them to know his wards were protected. But alone, when it was just him and the children…well he'd seen the man with flowers in his hair and dressed up in her own gowns before William had Rosaline to protect as the 'damsel.'

She slowed her pace as she reached her rooms and opened the door quietly, a bit of magic helping with that, before she tiptoed towards the nursery and slowly opened that door as well…unable to contain her laughter at the sight before her.

"Again Uncle Benny!" William was laughing, he alternated between Uncle Benny and Uncle Bennidid, and she knew the first time the boy had called the man his uncle there had most certainly been tears in Benedict's eyes despite his claims otherwise.

Right now Benedict was on all fours, William on his back with Rosaline right in front of him, the boy holding his sister tightly and protectively as they sat on him. Benedict's clothes were now all brown, magically made that way, with a hood up over his head, and he was making neighing noises and moving around, giving a little bob with his body and knees to make it like they were galloping or at least riding a horse. She watched as he picked up one arm behind him, resting his hand on William's back before he gave another neigh and pushed himself up by his other hand onto his knees, shaking his body a bit and going back down, like a horse rearing with its riders still on.

Rosaline was laughing and clapping in her brother's arms, which made Benedict let out a deep laugh as well.

"Having fun?" she couldn't help but call.

Benedict froze, as he always did whenever he was caught out, but William and Rosaline beamed, "Mummy!" William was quick to hop off of Benedict and…didn't run into his mother's arms, not when his sister was in his to begin with. He walked carefully towards her as she crouched down on the ground, her eyes filled with love as she saw how tenderly and carefully the boy held his sister, like she was a precious treasure he never wanted hurt…it was lovely how much that boy cared for his sister, how much he liked helping take care of her and look out for her and protect her. He truly would be a wonderful big brother when he grew older as well.

And that broke her heart to think on, when he grew older…she probably wouldn't see it if the battle was as close as they all feared it might be.

"Come here," she opened her arms wide, hugging William and Rosaline closely and carefully. William NEVER let go of his sister unless he was sure the person receiving her had a good and gentle grip on her, that she'd be safe. Not even his parents were allowed to take her from him unless he was sure they had her securely, which his mother always did. She had laughed quite a lot when Arthur would pick up Rosaline and swing her around a bit to get her to laugh, William would run over and tell the man to be careful! Which would always make him set the girl down gently and safely before he grabbed his son and tickled him, scooping him up to spin him around the same way.

"Now, have you been having fun?" she asked, smiling at her son.

"Yes," he nodded, "Lots of fun!"

"Your uncle Benny's been taking good care of you?"

"Uh huh."

"I'm glad, "she poked William's stomach, setting Rosaline on her leg as she looked at her son, "You are so precious, you know that," she reached out to run a hand through his hair, resting it on his cheek, "You and your sister, I love you both so much."

"I love you too mummy," William hugged her again, "And Lyn loves you too only she can't say it yet."

"I know," she nodded, "And I want you to know, you'll always be safe in Camelot," she added, "Your father is working very hard to make it safe to use your special talents and I will never let anything hurt you, neither will your uncles or aunts."

"I know mummy," William laughed, "Uncle Wen and uncle Benny are very potective."

"That they are," she smiled, "But you want to know who's even MORE?"

"Who?" he blinked.

"Me," she whispered, as though telling him a secret, "I will always be there to keep you both safe. You can ask your father, I was a bit of a mean old dragon when I was carrying you both, when I thought someone was going to hurt you…I think I may have scared them away."

"But you're not scary mummy," William pouted, not understanding.

"I'm glad you don't think I am," she laughed, winding her arm around his waist to tug him closer too, "But other people might, and that's ok, because nothing will stop me keeping you and your sister safe, just like YOU keep her safe."

"I'll always protect Lyn mummy," William promised, "And daddy, and everybody!"

"My little hero then," she smiled at him, moving her hand back to his hair, "You are going to be the most magnificent king one day, even better than your father."

"Oh no," William shook his head, "Daddy's the best!"

She nodded, "Yes, he is," she agreed, "And he'll always be there to protect you too," she glanced up to see Benedict had gotten to his feet and was standing there with his arms behind his back, rigid as ever, but there was a frown of concern on his face. She sighed and looked back at William, "Why don't you take your sister into my chambers and show her all the knots your uncle Percival taught you."

"Ok," William grinned, taking his sister back and gently carrying her into the large room connected to his room.

Marayna stood and watched, waiting till they were on the other side of her bed before she turned back to Benedict.

"What has happened?" he asked her immediately, never one to try and skirt around something, "Have the Disir altered their judgment back to their original sentence?"

"No," she shook her head, ,looking down a moment before steeling herself and looking back up at him, "I need you and the Bloodguard to make me a promise, I'll not ask for a magical oath, I shall trust that you'll see this promise through to the end and follow it."

"Of course," he gave a nod, "Anything the High Priestess commands it is our duty to see through."

"I don't want to command you, Benedict," she reminded him, "And…" she gave a small, sad smile, "All orders given by the High Priestess are declared null upon her death, aren't they?"

Benedict stiffened at that, "My Lady…"

"The Disir told Arthur that for the kingdom to continue…the heart of the kingdom must stop," she gave him a pointed look, seeing the realization dawning in his eyes as well, "You understand what this means?"

"It shall not happen," he stepped over to her, "It is our duty as your protectors to ensure that no harm befalls the High Priestess and…"

"I am not operating in the manner of the High Priestess," she cut in, "The heart of the kingdom, ARTHUR's kingdom, not the magical realm. In this capacity, I am merely the queen, but as the High Priestess…I must ask you not to interfere with the Disir's judgment."

"But my Lady!" Benedict nearly exclaimed, before hushing his voice so the children wouldn't hear, "You cannot ask us to stand by and not protect you with our lives!"

"I can," she nodded, "And I will, because I need you to promise me…" she swallowed hard, "Promise me that after the judgment has been seen to…that you shall continue to endeavor to protect my children. You've claimed Rosaline shows promise of being the next High Priestess…it is my dearest wish that you protect her, and William, and show her the true nature of the High Priestess, that she be properly trained. Benedict," she reached out to touch his arm, "Whatever fate is awaiting me…" she let out a small resigned laugh, "I always knew I'd die for Camelot, so whatever fate is coming, do not interfere, protect my children instead."

"It has been my life, my Lady," he spoke quietly after a moment, "I have dedicated my life to ensuring your protection and wellbeing, even if I did not know it was you whom the protection fell to. The High Priestess…is too important to our world to not offer all our efforts to see her safe…" he swallowed hard, "You ask much of us."

"I know," she murmured, "I would not do so if it was not necessary. Benedict," she gave him a look, a small smile on her face, "Do you REALLY think I'll go down without a fight?" he blinked at her, "I have no intention to leave my children, I will fight until my last breath to survive and see them again. But I need to be able to focus everything on that. I cannot be fearing for my children's safety while I am doing…whatever it is that I do that would lead to my death. So I ask you, please, protect them first so that I might focus on my task and see it through with my life."

Benedict let out a breath, he should have known she wouldn't just give in to the Disir's judgment. There HAD to be some way for her to survive. The Disir had made their judgment on false information, that had to make the sentence itself shaky at best. There had to be some way that Marayna would survive past what happened. He had seen many people on the brink of death restored to life…perhaps, if they had the Cup of Life nearby, if anything were to happen to the woman, they could still save her.

"I give you my word," he nodded, "No harm shall befall the children."

"Thank you," she smiled at him.

Benedict gave her a small bow that was interrupted by, of all things, a small chuckle escaping him as his gaze landed on William, lying on his back, his hands tangled in the knots he'd been trying to make, somehow part of it was wrapped around his waist and looped around his ankle, making him look rather hogtied. He stepped out of the room to help assist the boy in getting free, not seeing Marayna's smile fall from her face.

She let out a long breath, running a hand through her hair, she was certainly going to try her best, she was NOT going to leave her children that easily but…what if that was it, what if it was her giving her all that would lead to her death. She would fight to the bitter end to see her children again, to be with Arthur and Merlin and her family…

But what if THAT was what would kill her? What if they were put in danger and she…she didn't know, threw herself in front of them? What if it was her trying to protect them that would lead to her demise?

She smiled as she watched her son intently watching Benedict reteach him how to tie the knot, if she died for that cause…it would be worth it.

~8~

Marayna was lying awake in bed later that night, Arthur's arms wrapped around her as she thought about all she'd learned that day. She'd debated whether to tell Arthur the truth about the judgment the Disir had given and how he'd misinterpreted it…but she knew in her heart she couldn't do that to him. Arthur had explained to her that he'd agreed to 'anything' to save his kingdom, essentially gave up his life, offered it to the Disir as a sort of collateral to see Camelot continue instead of fall to destruction. In that sense, it should have been obvious that, in order for it to not be destroyed, it should NOT be left t her to decide how to run it. But still…he had offered HIS life not hers and if she told him now that the Disir had truly meant HER life was forfeit…he'd rage and rant and storm out there in the middle of the night to go confront the Disir again and she doubted he'd be as polite and respectful this time.

He'd also be beside himself with grief and anger and bitterness towards himself if he found out that he'd bargained away her life when he thought he was offering up his own. If he ever found out what was going to happen to her because of him he'd never forgive himself. And it just made her fear more for him after she was gone. Uther had gone to Nimueh and agreed a death for a life, he'd been willing to sacrifice anyone but his wife to have a son…and he'd lost her. Arthur had given his own life…and hers would be taken instead. She knew all too well how that felt, when the Questing Beast happened and she and Merlin had offered up their own lives for Arthur and then had their mother's life threatened. She wouldn't wish that on anyone.

She had to keep quiet about this until she could try and work something out.

"Stop thinking," Arthur mumbled into her neck, squeezing her tighter, bringing her closer, "S'loud."

She smiled at that, "No it's not."

Arthur blinked a few times, starting to open his eyes to see her facing him now, "What's troubling you?" he asked, seeing the exhaustion and fear in her eyes.

"Nothing," she said quickly, before sighing, I'm just…worried," she offered, "About the battle."

"The Camlann one?" he guessed and she nodded, "You have nothing to fear Mara," he gave her a gentle kiss, "A king is well protected by his men Mara," he reminded her, "And I know that Mordred wouldn't harm me any more than he'd harm Merlin, I'll be fine when or if that battle happens."

Marayna looked over at him, reaching out to touch his cheek, "I just hate that, for battles like that, I'd be forced to stay here while you go face an army alone."

"Not alone," he countered, "Merlin and Mordred would be with me."

"It's not the same," she sighed, "I have the more offensive magic, I could help you fight."

"But Merlin has the more defensive magic," he reminded her, "He'd be useful in keeping us safe as we fight."

She looked at him, "I don't want anything to happen to you."

He smiled at that, leaning in to kiss her again, pulling her closer t him, "I swear to you Mara, I WILL come back," he looked her in the eye, "I will return to you and I will do so with my enemies defeated, whoever I may face in Camlann. I will let nothing harm our family."

Marayna smiled at that, a sad smile, "Neither will I."

And she wouldn't, no matter what happened at the battle, no matter what might occur in Camelot at the same time, she was not going to let anyone harm a single hair on her family's head. She would fight with every weapon she could find, with every bit of strength, with every breath she took, to keep her family, her people, her kingdom safe, and to find some way to get back to Arthur and her children alive when it was over.

Live or die, she would see her family safe if it was the last thing she ever did.

A/N: I apologize there was no chapter yesterday, just...difficult times at home. Monday was my parents' anniversary and my dad always tries to make it a family thing (even though it annoys my mother because EVERYTHING is a family thing to him and she always complains that just 1 day a year, their anniversary, she'd like to go out to dinner with just him). I FINALLY manage to convince him to go to dinner with just her...and then he takes it back at the last second and made us all go...4 hours that I was planning to dedicate to editing DW and Merlin gone :( And then Tuesday, when I was going to edit them, well, let's just say after every big holiday or milestone for my family a fight inevitably breaks out :( Happened at Easter, Christmas, Thanksgiving, birthdays...it's like you get the one good day and then it all falls to hell the next so I didn't get a chance to edit till this morning :( I can't promise a double whammy will be coming so this story might last a day or two longer then :)

I was torn between Marayna battling it out with the Disir or merely wanting to know if her assessment of the judgment was right. But I feel like she'd be a bit more mature now, she'd realize that the Disir's judgment was essentially law and that all she can really do is try to find some way around it :(

Some notes on reviews...

Yup, the Disir meant Marayna :( she's the 'Heart' :(

Marayna will have to die for the kingdom to survive unfortunately :( But I don't think she can change their judgment, being High Priestess more makes her another facet of the 'goddess' where the Disir are another as well :( It's sort of like...the President can't change what the Supreme Court decides sort of thing :(

I actually have that up on my FF profile in Leena's section, TJHC will be posted again 1 week after the last episode of Series 4 airs ;)

I'm glad you're excited :) I sort of felt like the LOTS was a bit...predictable? With Darken Rahl and Kahlan and the relationships Richard had with them (being related to the big evil, loving Kahlan more than her Confessor powers could make him, etc) so I want to see if I can shake it up a bit ;) I hope they renew it too :)

We'll have to see about the children }:)

Lol, I love the Rock 'n' Roll video :) I'm not much a fan of 'Wrecking Ball' but it was a nice video :)

I can't say if Rosaline and William will be ok...for all we know, Marayna is distracted by something happening to them and that's how she dies }:) We'll have to wait and see what might happen to them, if the Bloodguard will hold up their word :)

I think there's a way to submit tumblr pictures both with a profile and anonymously :)

I'm glad you're enjoying the story so far :) I can't make any promises about living or dying though }:)


	20. The Drawing of the Dark

The Drawing of the Dark

Morgana smiled as she rode with Arthur and the knights, Gwen beside her, through the forest, having come from a hunting trip. Merlin had never been much of a fan of it and he'd finally been able to get out of it and stay in the castle with his sister. With her and Mordred there, they knew Arthur would be safe enough and he had all the magic-knowing knights with him, and Gwen, so everyone should be safe. The Bloodguard had doubled their patrols in the forest, as had the Catha…who seemed to be out for blood when they'd received word that Alator had unfortunately died.

What was worse…was that Morgause's torture had been too much, Alator had given up information to Morgause about who Emrys was. They'd managed to scry for her with their most powerful seers, all of them combining their powers and abilities and magic to give them a look at one of their own…it only lasted a short while to break through the wards that Morgause had in place…but they'd managed it, they'd seen Alator, with his dying breath, tell her who Emrys was and they'd rushed to join the Bloodguard in protecting the leader of their sect as devoutly as the Bloodguard protected Marayna.

It was another reason why Merlin was back in Camelot. Morgana was actually sure that, if Morgause ever even tried to attack them now and try to get her or Arthur to get to the others…SHE would start using offensive magic to stop her. She honestly wasn't sure how Arthur had managed to do it when Morgause first learned that Marayna was the High Priestess, the constant fear that his wife would be targeted the moment she left the castle or even in the castle. Just the thought that Merlin was now a target of Morgause's anger, not that he hadn't been already, but just thinking that he was even more so now that he was revealed to be Emrys…it made her both frantic to think about and angry to make sure that nothing ever happened to her husband. Gwen had come with her because she knew that her thoughts were troubled and she wanted to try and offer her more support while she was away from her husband.

Morgana honestly hadn't really had an interest in hunting, nor had Gwen, but none of them were about to let the king go out hunting. Arthur himself didn't even seem like he really wanted to go as he'd really rather wanted to just stay in the castle too...but it was all a part of their plans to try and get magic back into the kingdom. Having a sense of normalcy that even though magic was back, the king wasn't concerned, that he was still going out hunting and other tasks they were hoping would reassure the people. There hadn't been much of a difference in the goings on of Camelot since the law had been altered, just a very small difference. Druids walked freely through the market, more seeming to just want to pass through Camelot than stop there, but they could understand the hesitancy to stay too long. Most people were quiet, watched them pass, whispered behind them, but waited…waited to see what would happen, if anything would happen…but nothing did.

It gave them hope that no one outright attacked any of the Druids.

"I think it's been a good trip," Arthur remarked, if just for something to say.

"Yeah, we all caught something," Gwaine grinned.

"I was very impressed my Ladies," Percival told them politely.

Morgana smirked, "Uther DID raise me as well," she reminded them, "I always caught more than Arthur."

"Not true," Arthur huffed, making Gwen laugh as she knew better than any, as did Leon, that it was true.

"Sire…" Leon called, slowing.

They all did the same, their horses coming to a stop as they dismounted, Lancelot taking the lead and heading for something on the ground, picking up a crossbow bolt from the dirt.

Arthur pulled his swords as did the others, even Gwen and Morgana, all of them moving slowly closer, quiet…till they reached a camp, dead Camelot knights scattered on the ground.

"Saxons?" Gwen looked at them, disturbed.

"Spread out," Arthur commanded, keeping Morgana close to him, Lancelot with Gwen. Leon and Gwaine approached an overturned carriage, checking in it but there was nothing.

"Seems like they were after the cargo," Leon called.

"Weapons bound for Camelot," Mordred added, when he spotted something in the bushes and headed for it.

"It had to be Morgause," Morgana murmured.

"This close to the city walls?" Gwaine looked at her.

"She's getting bolder," Lancelot remarked.

"Check for survivors," Arthur commanded and they spread out even more, only for him and Morgana to look up when they saw Mordred take off into the trees, clearly having spotted someone and rushed off after him.

"Mordred?" Morgana called, as she came up behind him, only to see no one there but he appeared very agitated, "Are you alright?"

Mordred swallowed hard and looked at her, "I saw someone," he told her honestly.

"Who?" Arthur asked as he joined them.

Mordred took a breath, "An old friend, Kara," he smiled a bit.

"Kara…" Morgana repeated, "She…she was in the Druid camp, when Uther cast that spell, wasn't she?" she smiled, "She was quite smitten with you."

Mordred blushed and looked away.

"Where is she?" Arthur looked around.

"She ran off," Mordred sighed.

"Why?" Morgana frowned.

"I don't know," he looked over his shoulder, "But I think she was hurt."

~8~

Marayna was pacing in her chambers, glancing out the window every so often as she waited for Mordred to return. He had explained to them all as they gathered in the physician's chambers that the girl, Kara, was an old friend of his, a…close…friend of his and that she was wounded, that he saw her with an arrow in her leg before she'd run off. He'd called for her but he felt that seeing him as a knight of Camelot had shaken her and she'd run off. Not everyone believed that the laws had changed, and the fact that she had been a part of the Saxon attack hadn't helped her position any. If not for magic, she would have been apprehended as a Saxon. Which, to a magic-user, they'd probably only see it as an excuse to take her in beyond her magic but still because of it.

He'd gone to Gaius and asked him for potions and poultices that would help heal Kara enough to get her to Camelot for proper treating and requested that he go alone to fetch her, dressed in his common clothes and not his uniform. Arthur had actually been hesitant to allow it, not because of the magic, not at all, but because she WAS part of the Saxon attack. That made her an enemy of Camelot for an entirely different reason. It put him in a very difficult position as well, to allow her in would be to put his kingdom and people in danger of a Saxon, but to not would mean allowing magic user to die. To bring her to Camelot but put her in the dungeons as a Saxon for protection…would be seen as him doing that due to her magic instead.

Arthur had eventually given his blessing to Mordred to go, Morgana had offered to go with him, but he wasn't sure how skittish Kara might be. There was something…off about her, he'd said. He'd tried to call to her in her mind to let her know it was him but it was like she couldn't hear him. He was hoping he could go there and reason with her, talk her into returning to Camelot with him for treatment, perhaps even talk to her and see what the Saxon plans were. He hadn't seen Kara in years but…it was clear to them all that he cared for her deeply.

Marayna had been pacing nonstop since he'd left, worried for him. She remembered Kara, the girl was sweet but…the fact that she was with the Saxons…she tried not to think too much on it. Mordred had been with the Saxons at first, in disguise, acting as a spy so it was entirely possible Kara was as well, but…the fact that she'd run, it made her wary.

"We believe they approached from the gorge at Westhay and tracked the ridgeline all the way through to the ford at Rushwick," Leon was saying, speaking to Arthur over a map on the desk, Merlin with him as well. Arthur had actually started to include Merlin in some of the 'attack plans' and other meetings. Arthur seemed to be preparing people for something, teaching each of them a little bit or one key aspect of being king and she knew why.

Arthur was still under the impression that HE was going to be the one who died for Camelot to continue. He was trying to ensure that they'd each be able to help William grow into a fine king one day, teaching each of them a small area of kingship to bestow upon the boy. It was subtle, it was sly, and it was needed to not instill panic among the others. If he suddenly started grooming his wife or his brother in law to act as regent or king the people would get suspicious and the servants were always very observant. It was Arthur's way of securing his son while not raising alarms.

And she didn't have the heart to tell him it wasn't him, because doing that would mean telling him who it would be and…that would just distract him. She couldn't have him in the middle of a battle, fighting with his mind half on her and wondering if she was ok. He would go into that battle more bravely than ever if he thought he had nothing to lose because he already knew what he would lose. He'd fight harder though to avoid it and she needed him focused.

"That could affect the trade and supply routes," Merlin frowned.

Arthur smiled and patted him on the back for noticing that, "I want extra patrols dispatched to the west and the north of the Citadel," he told Leon.

"We ride at first light," Leon agreed, turning to head out and alert the other knights.

"Leon," Arthur called, making him pause a moment, "I need not remind you we're at war."

Leon gave another nod and stepped out when Marayna glanced over at him, "What's wrong?"

"Morgause's men attacked only a few leagues away from the Citadel," Arthur sighed, turning around to look at the two.

"Yes…and?" Marayna shook her head, "She's attacked near the Citadel, she's attacked the Citadel, she's attacked leagues away from it all before. What's got you all bothered NOW?"

"I am beginning to fear that she does not fear us."

Merlin actually snorted at that, "I think she's fears us more than she lets on," he smiled, putting a hand on Arthur's shoulder in reassurance, "She knows that Camelot is under the protection of Emrys, she's probably trying to do what she's always done, attack as directly as she can to try and take me out…while forgetting I've got a healer and High Priestess on my side as well."

"Yes, she does have rather narrow vision doesn't she?" Marayna laughed.

Arthur looked between them, shaking his head, "I'll never understand how either of you do that, how you can hear of a powerful magical threat coming and be so calm about it."

"Arthur…once you've lived through every magical threat we have as it was happening…until we're on the ground, bleeding, with black spots in our vision…it's never something we can't handle. Till that time, we just go out there with as much confidence as we can that it'll be alright in the end. We fight and we fight hard, and this time," she looked at her brother as he nodded, "This time we don't let her get away."

They looked over when the doors opened and Gwen rushed in, "Mordred's returned, he has Kara with him."

~8~

Gwen led the trio down the halls, towards the physician's chambers, only for them to frown, seeing Mordred standing outside them, pacing, looking very very alarmed and concerned, "Mordred?" Marayna called as they got closer, "What's wrong?"

Mordred looked up, not seeming very reassured, "The guards," he began, they saw me bringing her in, they saw her Saxon clothing…they refuse to leave the physician's chambers, they think you're going to question her and throw her in the dungeons afterwards."

Arthur closed his eyes a moment, "Mordred…"

"I…" Mordred began, "I know that that must happen, that…that she'll be placed there. Not for magic, but for being a Saxon. I tried to speak to her but I do not believe she was acting as a spy as I was…" he looked at Marayna and Arthur pleadingly, "I beg of you, please don't execute her…"

"If she is willing to speak and to tell us of Morgause's plans," Marayna began, "We could grant her a pardon for aiding us, right Arthur?"

Arthur nodded, "We've done it in the past, exchange their life for information. If she talks Mordred, she will be safe. If not…" he trailed off, a solemn look in his eyes, "I'm sorry, but we ARE at war against the Saxons and if she swears allegiance to them or Morgause…"

Mordred swallowed hard, "I understand."

'_Don't worry,_' he heard Marayna in his mind and glanced at her as Arthur passed him, '_Mordred…you care for her. We've helped Gaius's love escape when she nearly killed the king, if you are alright with a…silencing spell, perhaps, to keep her from divulging whatever she may learn while here to Morgause, we can help her escape too, if need be._'

Mordred let out a breath and moved to hug his sister, a show of needing support and comfort to Arthur, but really a matter of thanks to her. He was hoping it wouldn't come to that though. He'd managed to get Kara to recognize him in the woods as he tended to her leg, she remembered who he was, the bond they shared, but…when he'd tried to get her back to Camelot she'd put up such a fight that he'd been forced to knock her out and carry her off to the kingdom instead.

Marayna smiled, touching Mordred's cheek a moment, before she took his hand and walked with him into the chambers after Arthur and Gwen. Kara was sitting on a cot, two guards on either side of the door, inside the room. Morgana seemed very upset and disturbed about something, Merlin there as well, frowning as Gaius spoke to them.

Kara, the girl seemed to be looking at Merlin more than the others, which made sense as she knew he was Emrys from her time with the Druids.

"Kara," Arthur began, pulling her attention to him, "I am…"

"You!" Kara nearly spat…before sending a blast of magic at Arthur, sending him flying back into the wall behind them. She leapt up, grabbing a cutting knife off of Gaius's workbench and ran at him, completely intent to kill him, when Mordred got in front of her, grabbing her wrist to stop her.

"Kara stop it!" Mordred cried.

But the guards rushed forward to grab her, "No! Let me go! He deserves this!" she struggled in their grip

Mordred was forced to stand there and watch as the sweet girl he knew was dragged away. He let out a breath, not having expected that at all and looked at Marayna as she helped Arthur up, saddened by what happened, "What do we do if she neither talks nor swears allegiance but tries to kill the king?"

The most solemn of looks was all he got back, making him close his eyes in sorrow and fear, wondering what had happened to Kara to make her like that…

~8~

Kara had put everyone in a terrible predicament, even worse than debating whether to bring her back to the castle. It was just as Arthur had feared, that she'd be loyal to the Saxons and there would be a danger in the castle. She'd been moved to a very particular cell in the dungeons, one that was warded against magic from within. After how many times Marayna and Merlin and every other magic user had been able to escape the cells, Arthur had requested that only one and one alone be warded to prevent that, and ONLY for those who truly used their magic for evil, for true evil and not revenge or heartbreak or duress, but those who just wanted to kill for no reason. They really weren't sure what Kara's reasons were, she'd seemed to like them well enough in the Druid camp all those years ago, she didn't seem to be threatened, she seemed to genuinely have wanted to kill Arthur and they could only think it was due to her loyalty to the Saxons.

And so, as she'd both tried to attack the king with a knife and also had caused harm with magic, they'd been forced to call a trial for her. The girl was now standing in the middle of the Main Hall, Marayna and Arthur on their thrones, Merlin and Morgana on their own, the children missing as they were not going to allow the woman who had attacked the king without a thought to attack their children, Mordred with the knights, Gwen with Gaius off to the side, the court behind her with the council members among them.

This was tricky…this was the first trial being held for someone with magic and with one of the crimes being using magic to harm just as the new edict forbid.

For his part, Arthur was trying his hardest NOT to bring up that magic attack and focused largely on her being a Saxon, "Were you part of a cohort of Saxons who attacked an arms shipment bound for Camelot?" he asked.

"Yes," Kara said, her head held high as Mordred watched her.

Morgana and Marayna were frowning as well, eyeing her closely, both of them feeling something off about her, Morgana as a healer, Marayna as the High Priestess, there as just…something that didn't sit right with them.

"And were you acting under the orders of the sorceress Morgause?"

Kara's eyes narrowed and she was immediately defensive, "What I did, I did for myself, for my people and for our right to be free."

"I have no quarrel with the Druids," Arthur stated, "Or any other magic-user."

Kara scoffed at that, "I have spent my life on the run because of my beliefs and seen those I have loved killed."

Marayna frowned at that and glanced at her brother, that wasn't right, that wasn't right at all. The Kara they knew had been a part of the Druid camps, had lived in peace…she hadn't seemed at all cross with them when they'd seen her as a child. They couldn't think of any major attacks on the Druids that would mean she'd lost someone she loved between then and now that they were responsible for…

So why had she said that?

Even Mordred seemed confused by her statement.

"Once, maybe," Arthur spoke cautiously, a frown on his face as well, he remembered her from the camp too, "But I'm not my father."

"You don't kill those with magic?" Kara glared.

"No," he shook his head.

"Then what am I on trial for then if not using magic."

"You are on trial for that, however not for merely using it," Arthur corrected, "But HOW you used it, to attack someone else. There is an edict in Camelot, magic HAS been restored to the kingdom, but only good magic. To use magic to harm is to warrant a trial. You are on trial for that, as well as being a Saxon, for having attacked and killed the knights of Camelot."

Kara's eyes narrowed, "One change to a law does not erase the decades of bloodshed. It is not I, Arthur Pendragon, who needs to answer for my crimes, it is you. You and your father have brutally and mercilessly heaped misery on my kind. It is you who has turned a peaceful people to war...and it is you...and Camelot that shall pay the price."

"No," Marayna shook her head, "That's not you talking," she eyed the girl, "That's Morgause. That's every other magic-user who has abused their power and used it for evil, to harm, to hurt, to kill. THEY are the reason it took so long for magic to return. Uther started this war, Arthur has ended it, but the actions of those like Morgause, and what you have done, do not make it easy for others to accept its return."

"You do not stand here, on trial, for having magic," Arthur repeated, "But because of an act of murder. Your actions have brought about the deaths of many good men and threaten the lives of many more. You openly attacked me with magic, intent to kill me…that has broken the edict."

"They were casualties of war," Kara sneered, making Mordred look at her a moment, concerned…because that did not sound like Kara, it truly DID sound like Morgause, "And I would do the same again for I will not rest until you are dead and your kingdom is no more! I shall see you fall Arthur Pendragon, you and your queen and your heirs."

Arthur stiffened at that, "You have no idea what harm you would do in killing my children," he warned her, trying to remain calm at the threat to his children's lives, trying to subtly tell her that his children had magic though he knew he could not as he was not a Druid and he couldn't speak to her in her mind, not that it appeared any of them could. He glanced at Mordred and sighed, turning back to Kara, "You show no remorse for your actions. I have no choice but to declare you an enemy of Camelot. At dawn tomorrow, pursuant to the laws of this land, you will be taken from your cell and hanged."

Mordred looked at Arthur, startled, as the guards started to pull Kara away, "You can do as you wish!" she shouted, "It will not stop Morgause's uprising," she smirked, a dark, twisted smirk, "Your doom is near. And my only sadness is, I won't be there to see it."

They watched as the doors slammed shut, the room falling silent as the girl was led out.

Mordred looked at Marayna, '_That's not her,_' he told her, '_That's not my Kara, it can't be._'

Marayna glanced from him to the door and ran a hand through her hair…this was a fine mess the girl had gotten them into.

~8~

"Yes?" Arthur called when he heard a knock on his door and looked up as Mordred entered.

"Mordred," Morgana breathed, smiling as she saw the boy enter, "How did it go?"

Mordred looked around at all those who had gathered in the royal chambers, Arthur, Marayna, Merlin, Morgana, Leon, Percival, Lancelot, Gwen, Gwaine, and Gaius, all there, Benedict standing before the door to the nursery where the children were sleeping that night. All of them there to try and help him with Kara. All of them could tell there was something more than bitterness and revenge in her…there was something dark and twisted, something WRONG.

He shook his head, "She would not speak to me much," he told them.

He'd gone to the cells to try and see if she'd be willing to speak to him. It was…odd. It was like she was an entirely different person around him, she was the same sweet and loving girl she'd been as a child. The way she looked at him, so soft and caring…the way she touched his hand so gently…it was like they were back in the woods as children, or in Ealdor and growing up. He knew why she'd gotten involved in the Saxons, he'd told her he was going to spy on them, for his siblings, he could only assume she'd gone to do the same but…something had happened, something had changed her.

"But I know something is wrong," he looked at them, "She is a good person. She means no harm. She's not to blame. Morgause is using her in her quest for power. Somehow…she's done something to Kara, I KNOW it. Kara isn't like this, she is...someone...since I was a child..." he tried to find the words to say it, feeling a heat on his cheeks to bring it up around the men, knowing Gwaine especially would likely tease him for it, "She's always lived inside my heart."

But, surprisingly the men (Gwaine) were silent, serious, seeing how much he cared for the girl.

"Mordred," Arthur began, "You know there's nothing I wouldn't do for you. You're a knight of Camelot. It's a bond we share. And you are as good as my brother-in-law," he moved over to the boy, touching his shoulder, "What you ask...you say Morgause has done something to her, but until we see what that is she is a danger. Not just to me, but to everyone in this castle, to your sister, to your niece and nephew. She attacked me with no warning…she threatened the children. She has declared herself a sworn enemy of Camelot, ruthless to the cause."

"Arthur please," he looked at him, "There is something wrong with her, something affecting her, some sort of magic or…"

"I can check her," Morgana offered, standing from where she'd been sitting on the chest at the end of the bed, "I can use a diagnostic spell the Druids taught me after Gwen was freed. It should tell me if any magic was used on her and what."

"Please," Arthur nodded and Mordred quickly led Morgana out of the room to go to the dungeons. Arthur let out a long sigh and took Morgana's place on the chest, beside Marayna, the woman reaching out to rub the back of his neck with a hand, "I don't know if I'm hopeful or dreading magic being in play."

They all nodded, understanding that. If Kara was enchanted, then it gave them a defense for her, but…if she was it also made it harder to prove to others. If they weren't careful, if they had no evidence of the enchantment but their word or more magic…then what was there to stop others using magic and 'claiming' enchantment later?

Their thoughts were cut off when the warning bells began to ring.

~8~

Marayna was starting to wonder why they were trying so hard to save the woman as she stood in court, yet again, Kara glaring at them. Mordred and Morgana hadn't even been able to make it to the dungeons to use the spell on Kara when the alarms had gone off.

Kara had escaped.

Worse yet, she'd nicked Mordred's dagger off him when he'd gone to see her the first time. She'd picked the lock and escaped, had made her way through the castle and killed a guard…using Mordred's dagger. Morgana and Mordred had run into her when two guards went flying through the air around a corner and they'd rushed to see Kara there. Seeing Mordred had seemed to distract her enough for two guards to get the jump on her and grab her. Morgana had later reported that, while Kara couldn't seem to hear them in her mind, they could hear her when she shouted out 'Kill them! Use your magic!' to Mordred, the boy seeming shocked and heartbroken she wanted him to do that and feeling shamed that he'd let the woman he loved be taken by the guards in the first place.

Instead of the dungeons again, she'd been taken to court. Arthur was trying very hard to give her one more chance, to let her redeem herself. She hadn't attacked Mordred, ever, so he was hoping her feelings for him would be strong enough to break through even a smidge of whatever it was that Morgause had likely done to the girl to make her so keen and fixated on killing him, for she'd been on her way to this chambers from the direction she'd gone.

"Every person present knows the crimes for which you are guilty," Arthur began as he looked at Kara, Mordred standing to the side, but next to Morgana instead of with the knights, needing her support, "But I'm willing to offer you a chance. I know that the Druids are a peaceful people. And you are young...and impressionable...an easy target for the likes of Morgause. If you repent your crimes, I will spare your life."

"I cannot repent a crime I have not committed," Kara held her head up.

"Kara…" Marayna began, "Consider your words wisely."

"It is not a crime to fight for your freedom," she cut in, "It is not a crime to fight for the right to be who you are."

"It IS however a crime to try and frame a knight of Camelot," Marayna shot right back, "Or did you have another reason for using Sir Mordred's dagger? For trying to force him to attack a guard holding you back even as you were coming to kill the king?"

"I would never," Kara glared.

"And yet you did," Marayna eyed her, "Do you even recall doing that? Using HIS knife on purpose? Using his knife when you had magic that could have been used instead?"

Kara blinked and looked down, nearly startled.

And Morgana grabbed Mordred's hand, the spell she'd been casting to see what was wrong with Kara confirming it to her.

Kara had been the victim of a spell yes, a number of them.

But then Kara looked up, a fierce glare directed at Arthur, "You deserve everything that is coming to you, Arthur Pendragon."

And her fate was sealed.

~8~

Marayna and Arthur stood on a small platform across the courtyard from where a hanging platform had been set up for Kara, her sentence going through. Mordred was beside her, Merlin and Morgana on the other side of Arthur as they watched Kara being led in.

Morgana had confirmed, Morgause had done a number on the poor girl. Her mind was a jumbled mess of false memories and forced thoughts and commands from Morgause. Her emotions were at havoc, potions altering how she felt about Arthur and Camelot and her anger multiplied, her determination to kill strengthened. Everything about her had been twisted into a hardened, bitter, driven killer. And it was perfect, in a way, Kara, due to her relationship with Mordred, was someone Morgause thought would succeed in killing Arthur. Because Mordred would not see her harmed, and he'd help her and in doing so he'd only give her the leeway to do as she needed, as she'd been cursed and spelled and enchanted to do. It was almost like all the magic done to her wouldn't break till Arthur was dead at her hands…

But they knew it wasn't so.

The Druids were gifted at healing and if they could have just gotten her to the Druids, it would take time, quite a while, but Kara would be freed once more.

Unfortunately all her spewing hate at them, all her actions…it made it hard to not sentence her to death. The edict was that magic used to harm was illegal, and she'd used it repeatedly for that purpose. If they pardoned her now, because of the enchantment and claimed it as that…it would just open a loophole for others to hurt and claim they were enchanted to do it. They needed a way to stop this, but there was no way to do it by Camelot's laws without opening the danger to the people again. They needed to see that bad magic would be punished and good would be allowed…but they KNEW Kara was enchanted and that this wasn't her fault, she really was being manipulated by Morgause.

It was different when Gwen had been enchanted, she didn't have magic and even then she'd been very subtle in her methods, so much so that no one else, not even the guards were any wiser to what she'd done. But everyone knew about Kara, she'd been very public and obvious in her magic and the way she was using it.

Marayna looked at Mordred as he shook beside her, watching as Kara was led onto a stump, the noose moved around her neck. She looked back at Kara, at the crowd, if this happened, if someone was executed for magic when it wasn't their fault…if SHE let this happen…the people needed to be reminded there WAS good magic out there, that even if bad magic attacked that they'd be protected. And Kara…she needed someone to vouch for her, someone who KNEW about enchantments and the signs of it and someone with magic and status and…

"Stop!" Marayna called, her voice ringing out in the silence. She quickly strode forward, the crowd parting for her as she made her way to the platform, shooting the executioner a glare that sent him backing up and reached out, her eyes on Kara, "DON'T move," she warned the girl as she reached out and took the noose off of her neck.

"Mara," Arthur called, standing still on the small platform the royals were meant to use.

"No, Arthur," she shook her head, turning, motioning Mordred over to her and he ran for them, taking Kara in his arms, both to comfort her for how close she'd come but also to make sure she didn't try anything again at the moment, not caring that everyone would see a knight of Camelot in love with a Druid, knowing they'd be in for a much large shock of just who their king was in love with, "I will not see a magic-user be executed when they were manipulated into doing all this, when it was not THEM responsible. Not again, never again."

"You can't just stop the execution."

"I am the Queen, and I say it ends."

"And I am the King."

Her lips pursed, he was really going to force his hand in this, wasn't he, "And I am the High Priestess of the Old Religion, enchantments of this sort falls under my jurisdiction and I will NOT see this happen."

One of the guards that was standing on the platform, started laughing, as did the rest of the crowd at what she'd said, as though she could have magic, as though she could be the High Priestess…

"Even if you do not believe her you should show her respect as your queen and not laugh at her!" Kara defended automatically, something about her claims of being the High Priestess sparking something in her.

"Silence," the guard reached out to strike her…

And went flying back off the platform, Marayna standing there, her hand raised, her eyes flashing as the man hovered in the air before he was slowly lowered to the ground, no harm done.

The guards started to run forward, too conditioned to rush towards a magic-user and apprehend them to realize who they were running to, "Oh honestly," Marayna rolled her eyes, "You really believe my husband is unaware that I have magic?" she scoffed, and the guards stopped, the crowd stopped in fact, all of them looking at Arthur as he just smiled at her.

"You had to do this NOW didn't you?" he shook his head at her.

"Seemed as good a time as any," she shrugged, "Magic," she called to the people, "Is truly but a tool, not an inherent evil. And if you doubt that…know this, I am not the only magic user in Camelot," she reached out, holding her hand palm up, a small red glow surrounding it as her eyes flashed and a red light shot into the air above them, Camelot Red.

Merlin smiled and stepped forward, holding out his own hand, a blue light shining from it, joining his sister's. Morgana took a breath, taking his free hand and held out her own, a green light combining with theirs. Mordred and Kara looked at each other, Mordred seeing just a spark, the barest spark in her eyes of the old Kara, before a gold and violet light shot from their hands as well. Even Gaius stepped forward, using his rather rusty magic to make an orange light.

Marayna smiled as a rainbow began to form above the people, "I think…" she called, "There is ONE more color missing," her eyes traveled over the people…to another knight, "Sir Leon?"

Leon stiffened, his eyes wide as he stared at her in utter shock.

"You're safe now," she promised him.

"Leon?" Arthur looked at him, completely bewildered.

Leon looked at Arthur for a moment and then down, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath before he held out his hand…and a indigo light joined the others, coming from his hand.

Marayna winked at Arthur, she'd seen it, when she'd been an owl, he'd tripped, startled that she was there and fell backwards…his eyes had flashed and an armchair moved across the room behind him, catching him. All that time Leon had been in the same boat as Morgana, but with even more pressure to hide his magic, being a knight, being one of those tasked with upholding the law and yet his very existence went against it.

"You really thought he lived this long on his own?" Marayna had to laugh, "Think about how YOU survived Artie."

Arthur let out a breath at that, he should have realized it, of all the knights Leon was the one that always seemed to have the most luck, came away the least hurt, survived when no one with magic was protecting him as they were HIM…because Leon had magic of his own. It made sense as well, the small looks Leon would give Marayna when she said something about magic being GOOD, the way he'd speak of a knight being the last place someone would look for someone with magic. And so many other things.

Marayna grinned and threw her hands up into the air, the others doing the same and the colors exploded into a small blast of colored lights, showing all those present the true beauty of magic.

~8~

"That was a dangerous game," Arthur remarked that night as he stood in the physician's chambers with her, Morgana and Merlin, Mordred having taken Kara to the Druids to be healed. After their rather...open and shocking display of magic to the entire kingdom...well...things had been interesting. The people seemed in a state of shock at the moment, not having expected the reveal quite like that.

Neither had Marayna in fact, it just sort of...happened, "I couldn't let her die," she said and that was the excuse she was going with out loud.

Internally it was far more important. She needed the people to accept magic, she needed them to know about her and Merlin and Morgana and everyone. She wanted to see it, just once. That was one of the most important things she could do before her own end, she wanted to see magic openly returned and used in Camelot. It was something she was going to endeavor to see before the final battle. She wanted the people to see that they were safe, that they'd BEEN safe all that time, that magic had been used and they hadn't realized it and that they were all still alive despite that. She just...that was the last comfort she needed before she was to die, to see magic truly restored, to know it would be a safe place for her children.

"Mordred would have been crushed," Merlin agreed, unable to voice what they were all thinking, that, perhaps, Kara's death would have been what led the man to turn against Arthur and Camelot, that maybe her execution would be what led him to kill Arthur on the field of battle. But Kara was safe now, she and Mordred were going to be with the Druids for a short time to heal her of all the trauma Morgause had inflicted on her. And, hopefully, she'd return without Morgause's influence and redeem herself to the people.

"I'm glad you did it," Morgana whispered, smiling widely, "Finally," she laughed, "We're truly free to...to help and heal and use magic to entertain our children and help the crops grow and..."

"Hold on," Merlin blinked, looking at Morgana, "You...mean THE children, right?"

Morgana glanced at him, "That's what I said."

Marayna started to smile at that.

"No," Merlin frowned, "You said entertain OUR children..."

"Oh," Morgana nodded, "Yes, well, that too I suppose."

Merlin stared at her a moment, before the breath left him, "You're with child?"

Morgana smiled, tears in her eyes as she nodded, placing a hand on her stomach, "I am."

Merlin let out the biggest whoop of joy before he ran to his wife and kissed her deeply, picking her up and spinning her around as she laughed till he kissed her again.

Marayna looked at Arthur, "NOW who's the idiot?" she nudged him, "My brother guessed it on the first hint."

Arthur rolled his eyes, "Yes, well Merlin wasn't living his life under the belief children wouldn't happen."

Marayna laughed and shook her head at him, before moving over to her brother and sister-in-law, hugging them tightly for their good news...feeling tears in her eyes as she clung to them a moment too long...if the battle was as near as people seemed to think it was...

She wouldn't get to see her niece or nephew be born.

But that was ok, because as long as the kingdom was safe and that Merlin and Morgana were alive and healthy and safe because of her...that was all she needed to know.

That child would be beautiful, she could imagine it now, black hair, blue eyes, sharp cheekbones, and the most evil smirk ever.

A/N: Mergana babies! Woo! ^-^

School kills :( Blah, I had to spend most of yesterday and this morning writing my last paper that my professor, due to the majority of the class voting for it, bumped up the due date to today instead of next week :( -sigh- But I have my last class tonight until finals in 2 weeks so I'm SO excited to have more time to put towards editing :) I think I'll finally be back at posting at the normal times after tonight ^-^ I feel so off not having been able to post at the right time the last few days :(

Some notes on reviews...

Lol we'll have to wait and see if anyone will save Marayna }:)

I won't be doing another/ different Arthur/OC nope, mostly I do multiple ones for DW because they're so different after they regenerate :)

I can say I have an idea in mind for a sequel and another for a possible spinoff involving the children for this story but I can't say what it is till the last chapter ;) I don't think I'd do the DW crossover quite like that, I do have an anniversary crossover in mind for a DW/Merlin story but the plot is very different :)


	21. Magic Revealed

Magic Revealed

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Arthur asked as he looked at the small gathering in the Main Hall.

It was…everyone, save Mordred and Kara, who had revealed themselves to have magic to the people only a few short days ago. It was all anyone had been talking about throughout the kingdom, how the queen had magic, how the king's sister and the queen's brother had magic, how their own physician and two of their knights had magic. It was alarming to Arthur and it made him very worried that it might grow into an uproar about it. The way it had come about hadn't been planned, not at all, but…in a way he was relieved it had, just as Morgana had been.

He wanted a kingdom where his son and daughter could run about and not fear that accidently using magic would earn them death. He wanted a kingdom where they'd be accepted. They hadn't quite told the people that William and Rosaline had magic, but he was quite sure that by now they'd assumed as much or were suspicious of it. He was worried about letting them out alone among the children as had always been the plan for once the kingdom knew about the magic returning, but he wasn't sure what the people's temperament and feelings for the tool might be. They had seemed in quite a state of shock and they were trying to give the people a few days to come to terms with the fact that they HAD seen the king's family using magic and that the king himself had allowed it, had clearly BEEN allowing it for years before the laws were changed.

He hoped it wouldn't shatter their trust in him to learn that.

It was one reason why Merlin, of all people, was so intent to see their new plan happen. Gathered before him were Merlin, Morgana, and Marayna, Leon and Gaius standing to the side. Leon, after revealing that he as well had magic, had gone to see Gaius, to talk to him now that he could do so. Gaius had noticed Leon asking a few questions here and there about Merlin and Marayna as they grew older and grew within Camelot, but he'd thought it was just a knight trying to come to terms with it all. Now he realized it was Leon trying to find an adult, a father figure who understood. Leon and Arthur had always been close growing up, had trained together, but had also been watched by Uther. Uther had no idea about Leon's magic, it was small, more instinctive, like Merlin's, but growing up in Camelot he hadn't felt a strong urge to really try and test it or strengthen it or use it. It slipped out of him from time to time, in the midst of battle or a duel or when his life was in immediate danger. But now…he wanted to know more about it, and he'd gone to Gaius.

Gaius had invited Leon on his rounds with him and that was what had sparked an idea in Merlin that Arthur wasn't entirely sure was clever or mad.

They were going to walk through the Lower Towns and the Market and the castle and just…do magic. Small bits of it, GOOD magic, lights and fun and entertainment and helping people as much as they could to try and get the people to realize that magic could be good. That was a nice notion, a brilliant part of the plan…but what alarmed Arthur was that they were going to split up. They were going to wander the streets separately and HE had been forbidden to go. They really wanted the people to realize that the ones with magic weren't a threat to them, that they'd been helping all that time. And they were afraid that seeing Arthur, even knowing that he'd changed the laws, would make the people think of Uther and his hatred for magic.

He wasn't happy with it, not at all, he wanted to be there and protect them if anything went wrong. But they were insistent. They weren't even letting the knights go with them…though he'd asked Gwaine, Lancelot, and Percival to shadow them regardless, at a distance of course.

"It's the only way they'll see magic can be good," Marayna agreed with her brother, "Is if they SEE magic being used for good."

He sighed, "I know, just…be careful," he looked at each of them.

Marayna smiled and kissed his cheek, "We'll be just fine."

~8~

Merlin was walking through the market, smiling at those he passed by, using his familiar grin and typical clothes to try and remind them he was still him, he was still Merlin, just…with magic. Most people smiled back instantly, but then he saw them making a concerned look at him, as though they weren't sure what to make of him, as though they weren't sure what he would do. He wouldn't lie and say that didn't hurt, it did. But he was determined and he'd been prepared for it. He knew that not everyone would react like Gwen. They didn't have the benefit of realizing all that they'd done for Camelot before they brought up their magic. Gwen had worked out that they'd saved her father's life when they told her about it, she'd felt grateful, she'd equated their magic with something good.

He didn't know what that majority of the people would equate him having magic to.

"Merlin!" a child called and he looked over as a small gaggle of village children rushed over to him, nearly knocking him over as they tackled him, their parents watching warily. He knew what must be going through their minds, who was hugging their child right now? Merlin, the lovable servant-turned-noble, or a sorcerer?

"Hello," he greeted with a laugh, focusing on the children for the moment, let the parents see him being HIM.

"Merlin will you show us the lights again?" one of the boys asked.

"Yes, yes, the fairy lights!" a little girl called.

"Of course," he smiled at them, closing his hands before his mouth and leaning in as though telling a secret…he concentrated and his eyes flashed, before he opened his hands and blew out, small speckles of light flying out of his hands on the small breeze of his breath, starting to sparkle and grow bigger.

The children cheered and started to chase the small lights, like floating stars drifting in the daylight, small colored fireflies whizzing about.

"That…" Merlin looked back, seeing one of the women, one of the mothers staring at the children playing, "That…wasn't magic…"

"It was," he nodded, standing up, facing the parents, "I'm sorry, I just wanted to entertain them."

"But…they're alive," one of the fathers breathed.

Merlin smiled, "I would NEVER hurt the children, ever," he swore to them, before taking a breath, "I've had magic all my life, from the moment I was born," he told them, "I grew up with my sister and I the only ones that we could play games like that with," he looked back at the children, "Aya's better than me at making the colors change, I can just make them one color but the children seem to enjoy it," he looked back at the parents, "Morgana's with child," he added, feeling his heart beating faster at the thought, "We're going to have a child of our own and I already love it, just as I love William and Rosaline, just as I care for all the children here," he looked at the parents earnestly, "I would never use my magic to harm them, ever. I've only ever used it to help protect Camelot, to stop others hurting you. I swear it."

The parents eyed their children, having more fun in those few minutes than they'd likely had all week, "They seem alright," a young woman remarked.

"It's…just lights?" another father asked.

"Yes," Merlin nodded, "Just a light show."

"Can…can you do other things but lights?" the small crowd of adults started to come closer, seeming to want to know, genuinely know.

"Yeah," he laughed, "I can um…I'm quite good at protective spells and enchantments, reacting and making shields, stopping arrows, deflecting fires…" he trailed off a moment, "I'm the defender, in a way, I like protecting, just like Morgana likes healing."

"Defender in what way?" one of the other men asked, something about what he'd said striking them.

He smiled, he knew that the men were fiercely protective of their wives and children, especially with all the magical attacks Camelot had been forced to endure over the years. It had to be jarring and harming for them to be faced with a magical threat and have NOTHING to fight back with. Hopefully, him being there, showing them that you could fight fire with fire in a way, that magic wasn't just evil but could protect them…maybe it would help

"Here," he crouched down and picked up a rock, "Throw this at me," he handed it to the man who'd asked the question.

"What?" the man stared at him, the crowd shifting.

"Trust me, it's alright," Merlin smiled, "Arthur's thrown knives at me, and cups at me, and pillows at me, and helmets at me and…well, I'm quite a good ducker."

That seemed to ease the crowd just a bit, "If…If you're sure," the man eyed the rock.

"Go on," Merlin urged and the man glanced at the others, seeing the children had stopped to watch, before throwing the stone at Merlin, not hard, not in a hateful way, but strong enough where it would certainly hurt if he was hit.

The crowd watched, flinching as they saw his eyes flash…before the rock stopped midair and fell to the ground a foot in front of him.

"See?" he shrugged, "Now imagine a sorcerer's throwing a fireball at you, or an enemy a spear…I can stop it, I can shield you all and protect you. I can stop the attack."

"You…you can stop the bad magic people hurting us?" a small voice asked and he looked down to see a small boy, hardly bigger than his knee, tugging on the end of his jacket.

"Yeah," Merlin nodded, crouching down, "You wouldn't believe how many bad people I've helped stop over the years."

"Could…" one of the women spoke up, "Would you tell us?"

Merlin blinked and smiled, nodding, before he started his tale about the evils he'd helped conquer and the harms he'd protected the people from through the years.

~8~

Percival was following behind Morgana, at a distance as Arthur requested, making sure she didn't notice him though it seemed a bit ridiculous, he was quite…large. People often saw him coming at a distance but it seemed like Morgana was either oblivious or pretending not to see him for his benefit. Whichever it was, he was thankful for it. Morgana had been quite…tempered since she'd met Merlin, all her anger and fire and rage that she often held for Uther had faded over the years. With Uther she'd had little choice but to argue and yell and shout…Arthur actually LISTENED to her. She had no need to shout and rage any longer. But that by no means meant she was a docile little bird…she was still passionate and a spitfire and she'd give him and Arthur such a verbal tongue lashing if she noticed him and was bothered by it.

He was trying to keep an eye on the ones walking with her, a handful of Druids. Morgana had run into them a short time ago and invited them to walk with her. It was creating a bit of a path among the people, who were all eyeing the Druids even more warily now that they knew Morgana had magic, but he was trying to just make sure no one would try and attack from behind when there was nothing going on. He knew no one would likely attack the princess, nor would they attack one Druid passing through…but a small group might make the people feel like it was a small attack on them.

He slowed as they stopped to look at a small stall in the market, before continuing on, waiting till they'd turned a corner before he stepped after them, gasping as he ran into someone just around the corner and the other thing fell to the ground.

"My apologies, my lady!" he cried out, realizing the thing he'd run into was actually a person, a woman, a rather small woman, not small as in age, but small as in her height and weight. She was quite…petite, with red hair and small freckles on her nose, "Please let me help you up," he held out a hand to her, feeling a bit of a warmth spread through his arm as she put her small hand in his rather large one and let him tug her to her feet. She stumbled slightly, lighter than he thought she was, and he'd tugged a bit hard and she was quite light and…

And she was rather pretty, lovely actually.

Her hair was a few shades lighter than Camelot's red, straight and long, falling over her back in a soft plait. Her eyes were a soft blue, like the sky and her skin was lightly tanned, a life in the fields it seemed. She was wearing a simple dress of a light green, like one of the villagers, and had been holding a small basket of flowers in her arms that fell to the ground when she'd run into him.

"I'm sorry," he quickly snapped himself out of his shock, letting go of the hand he'd still been holding, before he crouched down and picked up the flowers that had scattered to the side, placing them back into the basket and standing, the basket clutched in his arms, "Um…sorry um…"

The woman let out a soft laugh at his stuttering, "Margaret," she offered him her hand.

"Pretty," he breathed, "I mean, Percival," he closed his eyes, this was not going well, he was making an utter fool out of himself, "My name, um, it's Percival."

"I know," the woman blushed at his small compliment, brushing a strand of her hair behind her ear, "You're a knight of Camelot."

He waited a moment for her to add 'of the Other Houses' but she just smiled at him, she had a bit of a crooked smile, it curled up more on one side, it was quite lovely, "Um, yes."

"Were…were you one of the ones who knew about the magic?" she asked him quietly, there had been rumors going around that a handful of knights looked a bit unsurprised at the revelation when the magic had been revealed.

"I…yes," he nodded, "I've known for a while."

"And you protected them, the…the queen and prince and princess?"

"With my life," he nodded, "They're my friends."

"Loyalty to your friends," she smiled, "That's a brilliant quality. Not…not that you don't have other brilliant qualities," she added quickly, blinking rapidly and starting to blush, thinking she'd insulted him, "I mean, you're…you're very big. Muscular!" she corrected, "And skilled with a sword, and handsome and…I'm going to stop talking now," she looked away, her entire face as red as her hair.

Percival chuckled at that, "Thank you," he looked at her softly.

"Thank YOU as well," she added, earnest, "For protecting the High Priestess and Archmage."

Percival blinked, "You're a Druid?"

She nodded, looking down a moment, before taking a breath and looking up at him, "I am."

He smiled, "I should have known."

"Oh?"

He nodded, "Only someone with magic could enchant me as you have done with your smile."

She let out a breath, biting her lip and smiling, looking away but he could see she was thrilled with his words, "I used no magic."

"Perhaps magic of another sort," he offered, it had to be a type of magic…he was completely smitten and he knew it and just from one run in! But Margaret…she was sweet, he could tell and she…there was just something.

"Then I am glad magic has been returned," she looked at him, "If not, I'd not be here and we'd not have met."

He nodded, "I find myself even more thankful for the edict."

It was so true, now that he realized it, if Arthur hadn't changed the laws, Druids wouldn't be so open about who they were and she'd be more cautious and closed off and he doubted she'd be as open with him. And…if she'd never come to Camelot, then he really wouldn't have met her and for some reason…that thought bothered him quite a bit.

"If you'll forgive me, Sir Percival…I have work to attend to."

He nodded, "Yes, of course," he agreed, "I am sorry to have kept you so long."

"Not at all," she smiled at him, "I enjoyed the delay."

He stared at her a moment longer, "Shall I escort you back?"

"I'd like that," she laughed, that hadn't been why she'd delayed, as she'd been waiting for something of hers to be returned, but she was very much looking forward to more time with the rather large man.

It must have looked quite the sight to see the largest of knights walking through the market with a rather petite woman, the man with a basket of flowers in his arms. It must have looked quite the sight when, later, that same large knight would be seen walking off with a small flower tucked int the strings of his tunic.

~8~

Morgana kept her head up as she walked through the market, a few Druids among her, she had to be so thankful that no one in the kingdom besides a select few knew that she had been at a crossroads, one that could have easily led her down a dark and dangerous and evil path. She didn't want anyone to know of that, she didn't want to give the people any reason to doubt her or her heart or where her loyalties laid. She had done all she could when she went on rounds with Gaius to make sure that people saw her as the genuine, carrying, concerned woman who always had the best at heart for them and for her own people. She tried to be a comfort, to heal the wounded, tend to the sick, help the weak, she wanted to be seen for her choices and not for what she had inside her.

This time, her trip with the Druids, she knew that Merlin was moving about towards the children they'd told stories to, she was of the mid to see to the patients of Gaius, some that had been wounded in other attacks that she had tended herself that she had slipped a bit of magic into healing and helping.

She knew her choice of companions for the day might leave something to be desired for others, but she was quite content to walk about with the Druids, they were as much a part of nature and healing as she was and they had become some of her greatest friends. She was hoping that they could head to the more ill people, those that had been suffering with ailments that Gaius could relieve but not cure, not cure without magic. If she could help them see the benefits, see that good that magic could do, she was hoping it would help them accept it more.

She gestured to the druids to stop when they spotted an older man sitting outside a hut, whittling a piece of wood, the small piece already taking the shape of a horse.

Morgana smiled sadly when the man began to cough a deep hacking cough that Gaius had been struggling to help the man endure for years now. He'd gotten a rather bad cold one winter and the cough just never went away. But it would now.

"Jacob?" she called, and the man looked over.

He quickly pushed himself to his feet, "My Lady," he bowed, only to start coughing again.

Morgana rushed to his side and helped him sit back down, the people down the row of houses pausing to look over, having heard his exclamation and spotted Morgana kneeling before him. They started forward when they saw the small handful of Druids that had gone with her, alarmed and fearful for their friend.

"Please, rest," Morgana smiled at him.

"To what…do I owe the honor, princess?" the man wheezed, "Has Gaius another remedy?"

"I'm afraid he has not," her smile turned sad, "But, with your permission, I'd like to try one of my own."

The man looked at her, "Anything to rid me of this infernal cough would be most welcome."

She took a breath, "It will involve magic," she warned him, not wanting to startle him or alarm him when she reached out to use her magic.

Jacob blinked, "I…magic?"

She nodded, "I can promise you only that your cough shall be no more, I shall not harm you or do anything other than what I've promised," she looked at him, seeing him struggling, "Do you trust me Jacob, as your past physician did?"

Jacob swallowed hard, feeling another cough coming on, "I do," he took a breath, "Please, go on."

Morgana nodded and reached out, placing her hand on his shoulder and her other on the center of his chest. Jacob was started when her eyes flashed, not even needing words which, even in a kingdom as magically intolerant as Camelot had been, all those present knew that it was a sign of power, that Morgana was truly a powerful magic-user to not need to cast a spell to use magic.

"Try to take a deep breath," Morgana instructed.

Jacob seemed wary for a moment…before inhaling deeply, his eyes widening as he managed to do so without any strain or cough at all, "I can breathe," he whispered, looking at her with tears in his eyes, taking more and more deep breaths.

"Calm down, easy," Morgana laughed as she patted his shoulder, "Don't make yourself faint over…" she was cut off by Jacob falling to his knees, hugging her tightly, openly crying. The cough had prevented him from working as he used to, from getting a proper job to help provide for his family. And it caused such pain in him every time he breathed that at times he felt faint due to the shorter, more shallow breaths that he'd been forced to take because of it. But now…now he could breathe deep and it didn't hurt and his chest didn't rumble or strain and…he could BREATHE.

"Thank you," he murmured, "Thank you my Lady."

Morgana smiled, patting his back as she looked at the others gathered around her, "It was my honor to help you Jacob."

She gave his back one more pat before she stood, looking around, already seeing another patient of Gaius that she could help with rather painful joints, and got to work…

~8~

Gwaine was thinking this was either a stroke of genius on Arthur's part, to have him trailing behind Marayna, or a waste of his time. He knew the girl well, he knew that between her fierce spirit and her magic she was well defended…that and the sais she kept in her boots even now. She was well protected and it wasn't like anyone out there would dare harm her knowing she was the queen of Camelot. So really the reason for trailing behind him was pointless, she was perfectly safe. He considered, briefly as he passed the tavern that he should pop in for a round as Marayna was fine, but…in a brief fit of chivalry, he decided to keep to his task and shadow his friend…and then fully blame Arthur for ALL of it if he got caught.

He followed her to a part of town that was more active, with how often Camelot got attacked, there was always some area of it that was in the process of being repaired or worked on or built. And he knew that was just where she'd head, to the likely most dangerous place to be with the stones and wood beams and men hauling and cutting and breaking things, she always had been more active and invested in things. He moved to lean on the side of one of the small houses, watching her enter the site, and just watched and waited. There wasn't much to really do, he knew she could handle herself.

"You know if you'd like to watch the men," a voice said behind him, "You'd be better served getting closer."

Gwaine spun around, nearly jumping as he realized there was a woman sitting on a barrel behind him. He could recognize her by her attire as one of the barmaids in the tavern and realized that this particular area that was under construction was just behind the tavern really. The woman was sitting on a barrel of their finest beverage, his favorite, and in the process of cutting and pealing an apple. He watched as she used her knife to make the apple peel one continuous length instead of choppy bits.

"And you'd best seek out Theodore," she added, "He'd likely be the most open to your stares…"

Gwaine blinked, "I'm not interested in men," he said quickly.

The woman smirked her pale pink lips lifting up on one end, "Oh aren't you?" she scoffed, "A knight of Camelot?" she eyed him, her brown eyes sparkling, "One would think, with all the time you spend together, that you'd be a bit more than just brothers in arms."

He nearly blanched at the thought, the men really were more like his brothers than anything. And besides that, Elyan had only had room in his heart to protect his sister, Lancelot was married to Gwen, he'd spotted Percival with a ginger girl before (and yes, he was fully intent to tease the man for how smitten he looked), Arthur…well, that was obvious where his affections lied, Merlin was married to Morgana, and Leon…the man would kill him for EVER outing his affections for his sweet one but Mithian was a lucky woman. He'd seen a small exchange of letters between them ever since their last encounter with the woman. Leon HAD been rather more concerned for the woman than was proper. A good talking to had revealed that he'd been interested and intrigued by the princess during her first visit after Uther passed, and then they'd gotten closer in the course of helping her rescue her father. They'd been speaking via letters since then and he was quite sure Leon would one day be the next King of Nemeth if he wasn't careful.

Him though? He loved his ale.

"And a bar wench?" he countered, "I'd have thought that with the rounds gone around, you'd be more than just a girl serving mead to the men."

He knew it was outrageously offensive to suggest she was serving the men in other ways, but his vulgarity and years of ignoring his noble background had forged a man that was ten times as crude as Marayna could be. He had only ever been so coarse with her, now that he thought about it, the names they called each other alone was enough to have Arthur covering poor William's ears half the time.

But the woman just smirked, "You'd have to buy me a round to find out."

He felt himself grinning as he truly took her in. She was blond, her hair a paler blond than gold, more like a soft yellow, not quite white, no, but a fair sort of hue. She was pale, a life spent indoors at night, tending a tavern, but she had a hard feature to her face, her smirk alone was dangerous, he could tell. Had to come from plenty of time chasing off drunken men to be able to hold her own and fire back insults and taunts and flirts. She was fair sized, rather average, likely only an inch or two shorter than him, her hair in a messy bun, her clothes typical for her profess. An off shoulder white tunic, a red corset, and a black skirt, but he could see the muscles in her arms as she pealed the apple, she had to be strong to carry all the wine and mead and ale and gin to patrons, to be on her feet all night, to likely haul drunken men into the street at the end of the long day.

"Sorry," he smirked back, "I've turned over a new leaf."

"Well then I'll just have to tempt you."

"With what?" he eyed her curiously.

"Wouldn't you like to know."

"Yes, actually," he took a step closer to her, "Very much."

She shrugged, merely repeating, "Buy me a round to find out."

"And if I buy you two?" he teased.

She smiled, "You name it."

He knew she was testing him, testing his will, testing his intentions, and he felt that blasted chivalry flare up again and said what was probably the most ridiculous thing he could think of, "A bite of your forbidden fruit?"

He was quite sure she was going to slap him…

So when she merely smiled and started laughing, a playful yet fiery look in her eyes he felt himself lose his breath at that. Any other woman would slap him, no…punch him, no…knee him in a very delicate spot as he was now close enough to the barrel for her to easily be able to do just that…but she was laughing.

"Shall you promise on the honor of a knight, two rounds?" she challenged.

"On my honor as a knight," he nodded, "Two."

"Well then," she hopped off the barrel, more like slid off it, still very much within his personal space though really it had been HIM that invaded HER space, and looked up at him. Without even glancing at the now pealed apple, she cut into it, carving out a wedge and holding it up to him, pressed against her knife.

He grinned, opening his mouth to take it, munching on it thoughtfully, "Never tasted sweeter," he winked at her, knowing that she'd caught his little joke about the apple. The Old Religion and quite a few others considered apples to be particularly dangerous fruits.

"Well then, you'll just have to try other fruits too," the girl teased, "I guarantee you I have a few others that are FAR sweeter."

And with that, she pushed against him, sliding past him and heading for the tavern, "I didn't catch your name," he called after her.

"Buy me that first round first," she called back, cutting another wedge for herself and pressing it to her tongue as she entered the tavern, Gwaine watching till she disappeared within.

He blinked a moment later, realizing he was STILL staring at the door, "How did she do that?" no one had ever really gotten one up on him when it came to flirting but that…that was far more than flirting. And then he blinked again and ran a hand down his face, "I'm turning into Arthur now."

~8~

Marayna looked around as she entered the construction yard, smiling as she saw that no one really had noticed her which was just what she wanted. She was the only one of her, Merlin, and Morgana that was wearing a brown old cloak. She wanted people to see the magic first and then see the queen, not the other way around. She knew because of her status that people would see her and then not say a word about the magic because of who she was, she wanted them to truly see what the magic could do for them before realizing that it was the queen who had done it.

It was another reason why she'd chosen this part of the kingdom. It was so busy with so much going on that no one would notice her right away. With magic…this entire place could be constructed and rebuilt within a day depending how many people came to help. She was just one person but she wanted to at least show them that magic could help. She knew the people working there, they weren't all carpenters and masons, most were just the people who had lost their homes and were trying to help rebuild as much as they could as quickly as they could. They weren't skilled, they weren't trained in the craft and so it would take them longer to see it done and that was just more time that would be spent trying to get people back in their homes.

She looked around, seeing a few men struggling with a rather large beam of wood and smiled, following the direction they were trying to move it, seeing the small resting place that was meant for it and lifted her hand. She focused, her eyes flashing as the large beam rose quickly into the air, unminding of the ropes around it, the men stumbling back, startled, as the wood rose all on its own and headed for its position. She slowly walked forward, trying to make sure she was getting it all at the right angle, when she heard an outraged cry behind her.

"Don't you dare!" a man was shouting and the next thing she knew she was being whirled around and backhanded across the face, sending her down to the ground.

She looked up, gasping, seeing the men shouting as the large beam began to fall without her focused and holding it up, she quickly threw out her hand stopping it from harming anyone, waiting till they'd cleared before it dropped.

"I said leave it!" the man grabbed her by the back of the cloak, "We don't need no sorcerers cursing our homes!"

"I wasn't doing that," she insisted, pulling her cloak out of his grip as other men ran up, either to stop him or help her she wasn't sure.

"Then what were you doing, you evil scum?!"

Marayna's jaw clenched, "Helping," she told him, "Like this," she lifted her hand again and the wood quickly lifted, floating up to the resting place and sinking in right when the man grabbed her arm, "Unhand me."

"Not till you undo whatever curse you put on that wood!" the man nearly snarled.

And Marayna had no patience anymore, every bit of it had been spent on her children, so she whipped her hood off and glared at the man, who now seemed about ready to wet himself when he realized he'd just grabbed the queen, "If you would be so kind as to unhand the evil scum?" she asked.

The man dropped her hand, stumbling back, reeling from the recollection of what he'd just called the Queen of Camelot, "My Lady…" he breathed, starting to shake.

"Oh please," she rolled her eyes, "I've been called worse than that growing up in my village and that was when they DIDN'T know about my magic," she waved him off, "Ealdor is still standing, you're not about to be executed for insulting me. I'm not some thin skinned maiden that shatters at a slight against her."

"My deepest apologies, I didn't know…"

"That doesn't give you the right to be so brutish and disrespectful to someone with magic," she warned him, "If it's not me you should still afford them the same respect if they have come to help, as I have."

"Help, majesty?" one of the other men blinked.

She sighed, "Call me Marayna if you insist on formalities," she told him, "Right now I'm not the queen, I'm not even the High Priestess, I'm just a witch trying to help you get your homes back," she looked at them, "I have just set a beam in, taking less than a minute, that would have taken you half a day to do did I not?" they nodded, "Well then, tell me what else needs doing and let my magic help you find your families a home once more."

The men blinked and looked back and forth between her and the beam as though just realizing she HAD set that beam in quickly and without a single trouble that they'd have meet.

"You…can use magic for that?" one of the men shook their head.

"You can use an axe to help build a house as easily as you can to destroy it yes?" she glanced at them, "Magic can create as easily as it can destroy. Right now I'd like to help you build up instead of break down.

The man who had shoved her swallowed hard and she could see he still had issues with what she was doing, with the magic, "Help would be appreciated," he murmured, a wary look at her but she could make out that he was trying…help like this, help that would get them to their end goal faster with less accidents or injuries would help. He HAD seen her catch that beam before it could harm someone, if she could even hold up something that fell with magic that was heavy it could save so many lives and time.

"Excellent," she nodded, tugging off her cloak and rolling up her sleeves, "Let's get to it."

And with that, she walked on, towards the structure under construction, ready to get to work…and thinking she should probably have Morgana heal her cheek before they returned to the castle before Arthur saw the bruise and told her he was right.

She did so hate it when he was right.

A/N: OMG, 2 chapters left! O.O I hope you liked the little bit of love interest for Gwaine and Percival, look at our two lovely men getting distracted from their duties :)

And...I'm very pleased to say that the next chapter will be up at the normal time and will stay that way from here on out now that my classes are over ^-^ Woo! I'm SO happy about that :D My brother surprised my mother with a puppy yesterday so it was a bit hectic with the little puggle :) And then vet visits and getting food and carrying cases and all today lol :) He's adorable :)

Some notes on reviews...

No worries, I don't think I could make another Arthur/OC, I love Marayna too :)

Lol, thanks :) I have no idea why they repeated, but I fixed it :)

I can't say about a Chanelle, mostly because I've got the names of just about all my future OCs picked out. But there's always hope for the future :)


	22. The Diamond of the Day - Part 1

The Diamond of the Day (Part 1)

The atmosphere of the night had been a good one to start, the children had gone to bed early, which left the women time to bond and talk in Marayna's chambers, while Merlin and Arthur went to the tavern with the knights, just…wanting to have a moment of celebration. Their efforts to restore magic were actually going quite well, frequent visits into the market and Lower Towns had been just what was needed to show the people that magic could be good. They went into town now and they could see people actually TALKING to Druids and doing business with them, they could see tiny hints of magic, small mind you but they were starting to accept it. It had been everything the trio of magic users had dreamed of their entire lives and it was actually HAPPENING! On top of that Mordred and Kara had returned a short while ago and the girl was right as rain once more. They could ALL see an entirely new woman speaking to them, one who had apologized profusely for everything she'd done and sworn allegiance to Camelot before the kingdom to prove she was under an enchantment before, but they waved it off. If they could forgive Gwen poisoning half of them, they could forgive Kara trying to kill them as well…especially when they saw the way Mordred looked at her, with such love that it reminded each of them how they looked at their spouses. What warmed their hearts was to see that Kara was looking back at him with equal feeling.

What had truly tickled Marayna was to see Percival was not following a rather small woman through the markets, always returning with a new flower each day and the widest of smiles on his face. It was amusing to see him and the girl, Margaret, together, with the height difference and stature difference, but it was adorable with Percival so large and the girl so small, he was still a large softy inside. And he blushed and stuttered whenever the idea of when he would formally ask to court her would be brought up. Gwaine LOVED to tease Percival about it…till his own tryst with one of the barmaids was discovered. Gwaine had recently started to frequent the taverns again and Arthur had been concerned about it as Gwaine had actually started to stay away from them about a year or two ago, wanting to focus on being a knight and always being ready to defend. So he'd gone after the man, and seen him at the bar, only ordering 1 single drink…and talking to one of the barmaids the entire night. Percival had responded in kind to the teasing he'd been dished by Gwaine by teasing him about the woman as well.

Marayna was actually very happy with the two women the knights were interested in. It was actually quite the funny memory thinking back to when she'd confronted both women to see what their 'intentions' were with the men, having done so with Mithian as well via letter for Leon. Margaret was just lovely, so polite and shy and respectful. The girl was sweet and a sweetheart and she knew that she would be perfect for Percival. Lyra, as she'd learned the barmaid was called…that had actually scared quite a few people that meeting. It had ended up being a bit of a verbal showdown between the two with quite a few names and insults and shouts thrown between the two but, had anyone actually listened to the words being said…it was quite clear that both women were enjoying themselves in the verbal spar and, in the end of it, Marayna patted Gwaine on the shoulder and said she liked the woman, before walking off as though the entire scene hadn't happened. But it was her way of testing the woman, anyone who thought they could handle Gwaine needed to be good…and Lyra was FAR more than that. She would give Gwaine a run for his money she was sure.

But for how well the night had started, with Merlin and Arthur having fun in the tavern with Mordred and Lancelot, Leon and Percival and Gwaine assigned to one of the fortresses for a short while, and with Merlin using his magic to cheat and Mordred using his magic to help Arthur cheat and Lancelot insisting he at least played the game fairly and with nobility…it had all taken a turn for the very worst in the end.

For now they were standing in the physician's chambers, Merlin on a cot, pale as death from an attack by a magical creature only a few short hours ago.

They'd been laughing in Marayna's room at the tales Arthur was telling them of their antics in the tavern…when Morgana suddenly stiffened, a vision so powerful it caught her off guard hitting her…of Merlin. She'd run from the chambers, forgetting she could transport herself where she needed to be, and rushed into her room just in time to send a blast of magic at some sort of creature…they hadn't gotten a good look at it as it disintegrated into flames moments later…and sending it sailing into the wall before she ran to Merlin who was passed out on the ground. Arthur had immediately scooped him up over his shoulder and rushed him to Gaius, Morgana going over all she knew and all she saw to help him wake up her husband, but was forced to sit beside him on a small stool with a cloth to dab his head with. Marayna was kneeling on the ground beside the small cot, holding her brother's hand as he slowly came around.

"Merlin?" Morgana whispered, breathing a sigh of relief when he opened his eyes.

"What happened?" Merlin moaned, "I was…there was a creature…"

"I destroyed it," Morgana reassured him.

"No doubt sent by Morgause," Gaius sighed.

"She must have had someone sneak it into the castle," Arthur mused, "I promise you Merlin, Morgana, I shall find who was responsible for it and see them dealt with."

"We were expecting her to attack at some point," Marayna sighed, "I'm honestly surprised it took her this long to go after you Merlin, especially now that she knows you're Emrys."

"I'm just glad she failed," Mordred remarked from where he was standing in the back beside Gwen.

Merlin smiled at that, before clearing his throat, feeling it go dry before he turned and reached out a hand towards a goblet on the work bench just out of reach, "_Strangath,_" he incanted...but nothing happened. He frowned, seeing his sister and wife stiffen out of the corners of his eyes, "_Strangath,_" he repeated, but still nothing happened, "_Strangath!_" he tried once more...but the goblet was unmoved.

"Well then..." Marayna swallowed hard, seeing her brother look at his hands in alarm, "Seems she didn't fail then..."

"I've lost my magic," Merlin breathed, staring at his hands, feeling tears in them...

Marayna sat on the edge of the bed and hugged him tightly, Morgana letting her comfort him in this, of all of them, Marayna had been the one to grow beside Merlin, the two exploring their powers and fears together, of them all...SHE was the one who better understood just what her brother was feeling, what magic meant to the two of them.

"Did you see what attacked him Morgana?" Gaius turned to the young woman.

"No," she shook her head, "I just...reacted."

"I searched the rooms with Mordred after," Gwen stepped up, "We found this under Merlin's pillow," she handed Gaius a small box with a symbol carved in the top of it.

"I know this mark," Gaius whispered, before rushing to one of his books, his magic books now separate from his science books, much to his delight, and given their own area, making it easier to sort through. He pulled one out and flipped the pages open till he found what he was looking for, "Look. Here," he turned and made his way back over to them, holding the book out for them all to see, "It is the sign of the gean canach."

"No!" Mordred's eyes widened at the name, he hadn't realized THAT was what it was, he'd never seen the symbol before, but he HAD heard of the Gean Canach.

"What's the gean canach?" Merlin frowned.

"That sounds like the Old Religion language," Marayna remarked.

"Indeed it is," Gaius said solemnly, "The gean canach is a fearsome creature created by the tears of the earth mother Nenamed. It devours the magic of others. Draining them of their power."

"I thought all such creatures were destroyed in the Great Purge," Arthur cut in, "I remember my father destroying them," Uther had wanted the sorcerers killed, not merely stripped of their magic, because it wasn't just magic in question, it was the knowledge of the Old Religion as well.

"Looks like they got all but one," Morgana reached out and took Merlin's hand, squeezing it tightly in her own.

~8~

The day had just gone from bad to worse when a mass of people came to Camelot seeing shelter and help, the Saxon's had attacked the garrison at Stowell, the area where Leon, Gwaine, and Percival had been stationed. It was a terrible attack, nearly all the villagers in the area had died save a handful, but the knights had returned home which they could all see had relieved Margaret and Lyra to see Percival and Gwaine back...though Lyra had a bit of a scowl on her face when she saw Gwaine escorting a limping blonde woman along.

It had been Morgause's doing, they were sure of it.

They'd made quite quick work of helping the injured though, with Morgana openly healing and the Druids helping in that regard, nearly everyone was fighting fit within hours. Though it seemed to irritate Lyra to see that Eira, the girl Gwaine had saved, still clung to him even after her leg had been healed...but Marayna could say one thing, Lyra was quite possessive of Gwaine even though they hadn't officially even declared they were interested in each other. The moment Gwaine himself as healed, Lyra had grabbed his hand, and pulled him off claiming SHE was going to give him a thorough inspection of his well being herself...

Gwaine had never looked more smug than when he'd winked at them as he'd passed, the man having used Eira to his advantage to make Lyra jealous...seemed he'd gotten a proper snog out of it in the end.

But now they were in the council room, at the round table as Leon gave his report, "A force of Saxons, sire. They crossed the northern border last night and attacked the garrison at Stowell. "

"They march under Morgause's command," Arthur sighed.

"There'd be no doubt about it sire. It's not men we faced, but sorcery and Stowell had only myself there and..." he swallowed hard, still not used to speaking it out loud, "My magic is not..." he trailed off, knowing that it wasn't well practiced.

"We shouldn't be surprised. She's been massing an army for weeks. Now with Stowell taken, she has a base at our northern border, which can only mean one thing."

"She's heading for Camelot," Marayna nodded.

"Well she's already made her first mistake," Percival remarked.

"We have sufficient time to prepare our defenses sire," Lancelot nodded.

"We can make our stand here however great her army the walls of Camelot will hold," Leon stated, firmly believing it, "The Citadel will not fall."

"Perhaps, perhaps not," Arthur murmured, "We've already deserted Stowell. I won't forsake the people of this land while we take refuge here."

"But we can protect them, sire, in Camelot itself," Percival argued.

"Some but not all," Morgana read her brother's thoughts.

Arthur nodded, "Countless, men, women and children will be left behind. People who I've vowed to protect."

"Arthur we can't save everyone," Merlin argued, a pit forming in his stomach...with the prophecies of battle surrounding Arthur, anything outside of the citadel made them all nervous to think he might select the very field of battle where he'd meet his potential end.

"There is a way, one way alone," Arthur looked around, "We insure that she never makes it this far."

"Well that would be lovely Artie," Marayna remarked dryly, "But how do you propose we do that? She's got magic, she can transport herself here."

"Not her entire army," Arthur argued, "So we ride out and meet them. Man to man."

Leon glanced at the other knights, "But, sire, Morgause commands an army of thousands."

"And I have learned, Sir Leon, from watching my wife, brother and sister take out an entire army and turn them into an enchanted forest...one magic-user is well worth 10 men. And it is our duty as protectors of this land. We cannot stand by and let our citizens be slaughtered. Those are not the values that Camelot was built on. Whatever the outcome of this battle, Morgause cannot and will not desecrate those values. A war has begun," he stood and leaned over a map of the kingdom and neighboring lands that was spread on the table, "Now to reach Camelot, Morgause will have no choice but to cross the White Mountains. The pass that gives passage to an army that size, is here," he pointed to another area.

"I know it well," Percival nodded, "The path leads a valley by cliffs on the other side."

"That's where we meet them," he determined, "Now we may be outnumbered but if don't let them outflank us then we can hold the pass."

"How long?" Leon frowned, "Morgause has no care for the likes of men."

"She can't supply for an army that size indefinitely," Lancelot remarked, seeing the logic in the plan, "Not isolated by the mountains."

Arthur nodded, "If we can hold out long enough she'll be forced to retreat. Percival, at what point is the pass at its narrowest."

"Here, sire," Percival pointed.

"What do they call this place?"

Percival hesitated, looking at Arthur solemnly and said the one word they were all dreading, "Camlann."

~8~

Arthur knew, he knew very well what Camlann represented, all the warnings that he'd fall in a battle there. But it was the only way he could save his people, to take a stand there, and regardless of prophecy or warning, even with that looming over him, he would still go, for his people. The judgment of the Disir hung over him, but the kingdom would continue if he were to go there and that was enough comfort despite the heartbreak he felt at thinking he would have to go and lose his wife and children for it all. He would die and he would never be with them again.

Only one good thing had come from realizing Camlann had arrived...Merlin was more determined than ever to get his magic back somehow. The only place he could think of to learn what was going on was the Crystal Caves. Gwaine and Mordred had both volunteered to go with Merlin on his quest...of course that was after they spoke to Kara and Lyra to say goodbye for the moment. And all too soon Merlin had started off with the two knights on a quest to get his magic back, forced to leave Morgana back in Camelot.

Marayna took a tiny bit of revenge in talking Arthur into forcing Morgana to stay in the castle, with William and Rosaline and Gwen and Lancelot while SHE went with Arthur towards Camlann with his small army. SHE had been forced to stay in the castle while with child, and while caring for the children, but as Arthur had said, every spare magic user helped their chances...and the Druids had already offered healers to assist, the Catha offering soldiers to fight, while the Bloodguard remained behind in the forests around Camelot as a last line of defense should Morgause's army make it through the battle.

That was the only comfort that Merlin could find in it all...as he sat on the floor of the Crystal Cave, feeling nearly defeated. Nothing had gone well since he'd left Camelot, his small party had been attacked by bandits...though he had his staff with him and had been able to help Gwaine and Mordred fight them off...then he'd had to say goodbye to Gwaine and bid him return to Arthur with news that they'd reached the caves. He'd tried to get Mordred to go as well, but the boy refused, saying that he was going to be there when Merlin got his magic back, he would not abandon his brother, but he had agreed to at least wait outside the cave. He'd entered it alone, himself...only to run right into Morgause herself, someone having tipped her off about his plans to get his magic back and she'd come to stop him.

He'd walked RIGHT into her trap, followed her into another chamber where she'd collapsed the ceiling on him, blocking his way and tapping him as she escaped. If left him little other choice but to try and move the rocks manually, but they were wedged in firmly, nearly making him give up...until he spotted a light shining through the tunnel above him. He squinted against it but forced himself up, climbing his way towards it, making it through to the top...only to take a step and faint at the exhaustion and magic around him.

He would have stayed collapsed on the ground for longer had a voice not jarred him awake, "Merlin..." a man whispered.

Merlin slowly opened his eyes to see his father, Balinor, standing before him, "Father?" he breathed turning his head to look at the apparition.

"My son," the man smiled.

"Are you here? Are you real?"

"Dead or alive? Real or imagined? Past or present?" Balinor sighed, "These things are of no consequence. All that matters is that you heed the words of your father who loves you. Do not let go, Merlin, do not give in. Morgause can only win if you and your sister accept defeat," he smiled, "I don't believe she would ever do that, and you must not either. If you fight, if you let hope into your heart, Morgause cannot be victorious. And you will be able to help your sister, your king, and your home."

"But my magic..." he shook his head.

Balinor knelt down beside him, "Merlin, you are more than a son of your father, your sister more than a daughter of a father. You are son of the earth, the sea, the sky, magic is the fabric of this world, and you were born of that magic as was she. You are magic itself. You cannot lose what you are any more than your sister could."

"But how do I find myself...again?"

"Believe, Merlin," he smiled, "Believe what your heart knows to be true. That you have always been, and always will be."

"Always will be?" Merlin whispered, hopeful.

"Rest now," Balinor soothed, "Rest my son. And soon you shall awaken into the light."

Merlin blinked and slowly closed his eyes, drifting off to sleep, his father watching over him.

~8~

Marayna entered hers and Arthur's tent set up in the fields of Camlann that night, seeing him sitting at a small table, thinking deeply, "Don't hurt yourself Artie," she joked, "Think any harder and you may pull a muscle."

He looked up at her and laughed, "Mara," he held out a hand to her and she stepped closer, sitting on the arm of his chair, his arm moving around her waist.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

He sighed, "Leon feels we should have stayed in the Citadel," he told her, thinking to the conversation he'd had with the man, "Feels this is a deathtrap. Perhaps we should of made our stand at Camelot..."

"Yes, and give Morgause more time to amass more of her army and save her strength?" she shook her head, "I agree, this may be the only chance of stopping her. Do you really want to put the citadel under siege again? Like your father would? Or do you want to do as you've always done and stop a threat before it strikes?"

He looked at her and smiled, "You always make me feel like I'm doing the right thing," he murmured, "Well...IF I do the right thing."  
"And since I haven't smacked you yet," she joked, "I think this really is the right thing for the kingdom," she reached out and ran her hand through his hair, "I'd rather fight her here, weaken her so that Bloodguard can finish her off if need be, than to wait for her to get too close to our children."

He nodded, "You're right," he hadn't thought of that, "Thank you."

"For what?"

"Your faith in me," he looked at her, "You've always had it even when I didn't deserve it."

"You always did," she countered, "Merlin and I could see the potential in you. Now," she stood up, taking his hand with her, "You are far too tense sire," she smirked, "Allow your wife to help you relax?"

"No spells," Arthur shook his head, "Save your strength," even though he knew she wouldn't be IN the battle, he didn't doubt she'd be above it, helping with her magic.

"As tempting as it would be to spell you into a simpleton again," she laughed, "I was thinking..." she stepped closer, winding her arms around the back of his neck, "A bit more mortal methods," before she leaned in and kissed him.

"Oh," he murmured against her lips, "Well by all means..." he was cut off by her lips once more.

~8~

Merlin slowly woke to find that his strength had returned to him. He sat up and looked around, moving to crouch down and breathe deep, feeling something restored within him. He put his hands to his mouth and breathed out, "_Gewyrc an lif_," and he could feel his eyes flash before a small blue butterfly flew away from his open hands. He grinned widely before he stood and turned to a crystal, no longer afraid and put his hand on it, allowing the images of the battle to come to fill his mind.

He could see it, Excalibur flashing, Morgause leading her Saxons, Marayna's red Camelot dress, Kilgharrah breathing on him and giving him a spell, Morgana pacing the Main Hall...and the Saxons attacking...

He gasped and pulled away, seeing the attack, seeing it coming while the Camelot soldiers and his sister were unprepared, too far away from Morgana and her visions. He quickly grabbed a crystal, one he recognized wasn't for visions but for amplification, and used it to send a message to his sister, and he could see her, jolting awake in Arthur's arms (and grimaced, thankful as anything that she had the sheet around her as he did NOT want to see her in that state) as she received his message, that the army was coming, that Morgause knew of an old path that she was going to use to trap them. That they had to find the path before they were doomed...

He could see her waking Arthur...actually shoving him out of their small bed to wake him and relaying the message.

He could see Arthur, standing before the men as they gathered in their armor, Marayna beside him, 'Tonight,' he could hear Arthur speaking, 'We do battle. Tonight we end this war, we end a war as old as the land itself. War against tyranny, greed, and spite. Not all will greet the dawn, some will live, some will die. But each and every one of you fights with honor, and with pride. For not only do we fight for our lives, we fight for the future. The future of Camelot. The future of Albion. The future of the united the love of Camelot!'

He could see the men cheering as Arthur lifted his sword high in the air, 'For the love of Camelot!'

He gasped and stepped back, spinning around to see his father standing behind him, "Thank you. For your help, your guidance."

"I only offered a hand," Balinor smiled, "You stand tall on your own two feet, Merlin, you always have done."

"As did you, father. I follow in your footsteps."

"Your journey has only just begun," Balinor warned, "You and your sister wield a power you yet cannot conceive of. Only in the heart of the Crystal Cave will your true self be revealed," he gestured to the center of the cave where a ray of light was shining down, "Move towards the light. Your destiny awaits. Do not be afraid. Trust in what you are, trust in what will be."

Merlin took a breath and headed for the light, pausing only to look back at his father, "Goodbye, father."

"There are no goodbyes, Emrys," Balinor gave him a nod, "For I will always be. As you will always be."

Merlin looked at the light and walked towards it, feeling a power fill him as he passed through it, he knew, right then, that the battle was about to commence, that his sister was there and ready to help the soldiers, that his king and brother would lead the attack, that Morgause was there and waiting...and he was ready.

Stone and rock went flying out as he broke through the crystal cave and into the daylight.

To be continued...

A/N: 1 more chapter! I'm SO excited for it ^-^

Some notes on reviews...

Just 1 day now ;)

Lol, I feel the same way about my stories. I remember posting Angel for my DW story and spanning that a year, getting to December 31st and going...didn't I JUST post Dalek!? O.O

Yup, Hercules and Ariel would be first cousins first removed :) I once made an entire family tree of the Greek/Roman gods/goddesses for my Latin class in high school just for fun (yes I was THAT much of a nerd lol). It's so interesting to see all the cousins and half siblings due to Zeus, like Perseus and Hercules and so many others. I love the history of Romulus and Remus as it ends up having their line related to Mars (their father), Venus (their ancestor Aeneas), and even Jupiter (Aeneas's father Anchises was a prince of Troy, son of Priam, and Priam was descended from Jupiter). The girls have met in passing, but we might see them pop up again ;) Merlin, Marayna, and Morgana don't teach Will, not yet. They do teach him some simple spells, but he's only 3. Preschool in America doesn't really start till you're about 4 (at least that's when it did for me) so he's still got time before he'll be expected to learn and get tutors :) I've found that, if I'm writing a story based on a show or movie, that watching whatever episode comes next, or the movie again, helps me get motivated to write and helps me visualize what I want to happen and sort of opens me up to ideas to help with writer's block. Sometimes I'll take a step back and leave a story for a day or two and then look at it with fresh eyes :)

I can't say if we'll see the baby born, it's only a few months along by this point ;) I can say I have an idea for a spinoff and sequel, which I'll post in the next chapter my thoughts on and see if anyone's interested. I can't say when it would be posted though, as I'm not sure if I'd be writing it :)


	23. The Diamond of the Day - Part 2

The Diamond of the Day (Part 2)

As Merlin and Mordred rode through the forests as quickly as they could, Marayna stood on a small boulder overlooking the battle, watching as Arthur and the knights attacked the Saxons. Morgause had sorely underestimated Arthur and his men, his people, and his willingness to do what had to be done to save his kingdom. That was always her greatest flaw though, wasn't it, overconfidence. She honestly believed that neither Arthur nor his men would allow magic-users into the ranks of knights, well, not knights per say, more just soldiers in the battle. But they had. There were Druids behind her, tending to the wounded with Gaius, there were Catha before her, fighting as they'd been trained, using their skills and magic to help the knights. It was still difficult, even with their magic, the Saxons outnumbered them 5 to one and she knew that Morgause had likely only sent a portion of her men to this battle, she could count about 3 for every knight, so that meant part of the army was still in waiting somewhere.

She was trying not to think on that though and focus on the battle at hand, she could see some magic users like Kara among the ranks of the Saxons, using their magic to counter the Catha, she could see Morgause herself offering her magic to help as well...so she did the same. She sent waves of magic out, created as good of shields as she could though she knew Merlin's were better, and did all she could try and protect the knights while still helping to fight from a distance. She knew that staying where she was was all that was keeping Arthur from fretting about her, and the Saxons she'd knock out before they could strike him, reassuring him that she was still alive and well.

She looked up, ducking down as something swooped over her and Aithusa flew past, breathing fire at the soldiers below. She quickly threw out her hands, hoping that she could keep the soldiers safe...when a MUCH stronger shield went up around every single Camelot knight. She spun around to see a bolder across from her, her brother standing on top of it, his arms up, his eyes flashing.

"Merlin!" she cried, so relieved, looking down to see Mordred still on his horse, racing towards the battle to help, "Mordred."

"Aya!" Merlin nodded towards the battle. She turned and spotted Saxons starting to surround Arthur, before she threw her arms out blasting them back moments before a blast of lightning struck down at another group that was trying to get at him in his distraction of the first attack being disturbed, Merlin's doing the second time. Arthur spun around and held Excalibur up at them before he turned back to the fight.

The siblings stood above the battle, swearing they could probably hear Morgause screaming obscenities at them on the other side of the field. They focused on the soldiers though, using their respective abilities and strengths, Marayna offensively, Merlin defensively, fighting and protecting as they went.

"NO!" they could hear Morgause screeching.

"Aya," Merlin smirked at her, "I think she needs to take another trip again!"

"My pleasure," she grinned, swing her arm out and throwing Morgause off the small cliff she'd been standing on, sending her falling down into the dead that were scattered at the base of it, "But Merlin," she glanced at him, "Aithusa!"

Merlin looked up as the white Dragon began to swoop down once more, "_Nun de ge dei s'eikein kai emois epe'essin hepesthai!_" he shouted up to the Dragon as he saw the mouth opening to breathe fire, stopping the attack, "_Weas_!" he commanded and Aithusa stopped the attack and turned to fly off.

"For the love of Camelot!" they could hear Arthur shouting, raising Excalibur to lead a new charge against the Saxons, finally starting to gain the advantage, driving what was left of the Saxons off.

"Come on," Merlin jumped off his boulder and ran over to Marayna, holding out a hand to help her down as they ran for what was left of the battle, needing to see if they could help any that had fallen, transport them to the healing tents, take care of the last few Saxons that might be too close to retreat with the others. They headed for Arthur along the way, knowing that the Saxons would be more keen to find him than the other knights, HE would be the one they'd be more likely to target.

"ARTHUR!" they heard Mordred shout and turned to see Arthur was only to see the vision that Merlin and Morgana had seen play out before them. Arthur had knelt by a fallen knight, and been attack from behind, he'd been startled and slashed at, sending him to his knees. And there was Mordred...running through the field, heading right for his king, quickly lifting his blade to block a fatal blow coming at the king, fighting to defend the fallen man before throwing his arm out and blasting him back with magic.

"Arthur!" Merlin and Marayna ran for him as well, dropping to their knees beside Arthur as the other knights took care of the remaining Saxons.

"Arthur?" Marayna reached out and touched his face, the man half supported in Mordred's arms, all of them were so relieved that the Druid hadn't been the one to strike him down but, looking at the fallen man Mordred had blasted back, they could see a Druid tattoo on his arm too. That prophecy had been fulfilled it seemed, but they refused to allow Arthur to die from this.

"Mara?" Arthur slowly looked over at her, taking her hand, "You look lovely."

She laughed at that, "And you look horrible," she told him bluntly, "I'm thinking we should make red illegal instead of blue," she joked, remarking on what he'd said when Rosaline was born, "It looks terrible on you."

He nearly laughed but coughed and winced, "Are you ok?" he looked at her, concerned.

"Fine," she nodded, squeezing his hand.

"Merlin?" he looked at the man.

"I've got my magic back," Merlin said, though that was quite obvious given that he'd been helping in the battle.

"Good, good," he nodded, before looking at Mordred, "And you saved me."

Mordred nodded, "I would NEVER harm you sire."

Arthur smiled, "That's brother to you."

"Ok," Marayna swallowed, "We need to get you to the healing tents, you've lost a bit too much blood," she tried to tease at how he was telling Mordred to call him brother, something he only seemed to do when he was loopy or enchanted or out of it.

The three magic-users joined hands and Arthur was transported with them, leaving the battle in a swirl of dust and wind.

~8~

Arthur slowly woke to find himself in a small tent of his own, Merlin, Morgana, and Mordred there, Gaius tending to the bandages around his chest, Leon giving a report to them, "The battle is won," Leon was saying, "The Saxons are in full retreat. They're making for the hills. I've dispatched 200 men to drive our advantage home."

"It won't be enough," Marayna shook her head, "The reports from Gwaine and Percival said that we're outnumbered 5 to 1, that battle was little more than half their army. They've still got soldiers waiting for us."

"Brilliant," Merlin muttered, rubbing his head.

"Sire," Mordred looked over, spotting Arthur had woken.

Marayna was at his side in an instant, kneeling next to his small cot, taking his hand, "How are you feeling?"

He tried to sit up but Merlin rushed forward to stop him, "Don't, trust us...just don't."

"Why do I hurt?" Arthur winced at that, "Were the healers harmed?"

The small group looked at each other solemnly, before looking at Arthur, "I'm sorry," Mordred whispered, "I failed you sire. I thought I was in time, I thought I could reach you before you were struck...my magic and myself weren't fast enough."

Arthur frowned, looking at them, "What happened? What's wrong?"

Gaius spoke up now, "Sire...there is a fragment of sword embedded in your chest."

"Can it not be removed?"

"No," Marayna swallowed, "We've had the healers try, it..." she shook her head and how pale she went at the memory told him it wasn't good, so he squeezed her hand.

"I...we don't think even Morgana could remove it," Merlin whispered.

"The blade..." Mordred began, "Morgause must have looked into the future as well, or had one of her seers do so, she gave that man a sword forged in a Dragon's breath."

"Like Excalibur," Arthur nodded slowly, understanding what that meant, it was fatal.

"The blade's point is travelling inexorably towards your heart," Gaius continued, "It would take a power as ancient as the Dragons themselves to thwart it."

"Such as?" Arthur asked, not even hesitating to ask to use magic now.

"Only the Sidhe possess such magic. In the midst of the Lake Of Avalon there is an ancient isle. That is the source of their power. You must go there."

"We've already got horses prepared," Leon offered, speaking up for the first time since they noticed Arthur had woken.

"Merlin and Mordred will take you there," Marayna squeezed his hand, "With Morgause's army still out there...I fear for Camelot."

"I should be back at the citadel..." Arthur tried to argue.

"Don't make me turn you into a simpleton again Arthur," Marayna threatened, sounding serious, "I will do it if it means you go with them to the lake. Please," she whispered, "Camelot needs you to live, I need you to, our children do..."

"Mara..." he swallowed, "The Disir said..."

"To hell with the Disir!" she snapped, not about to tell him what their prophecy really meant, she knew, she could feel it in her bones, that Morgause was going to attack Camelot next, thinking Arthur had fallen, the castle was going to be targeted and she knew...that was HER final stand, that was where she would fall, defending her home, and she needed him as FAR away from the castle as possible, "You are still alive, you still draw breath and if you get to the lake...you'll draw it still."

Arthur looked at her, seeing tears in her eyes and nodded, even if he died on the way...he had to do it for her, "Ok."

~8~

Marayna held her head up high as she rode back into Camelot with Leon, Gwaine, Percival and the rest of the knights to see Morgana, Gwen, and Lancelot waiting there at the steps, William beside her, holding Morgana's hand as Gwen held Rosaline.

"Mum!" William cheered rushing down the steps as she got off the horse and picked him up as he threw himself at her, "Mummy you're ok!" he grinned at her and kissed her face a few times, "I stayed here, like you said and I potected Lyn," he told her, before noticing there was a small handful of people missing and frowned, "Mummy, where's daddy and uncle Merwin and Uncle Modded?"

Marayna smiled at how he couldn't seem to pronounce any of the names in their family, "Your father's gone on another quest," she told him, not able to bear the thought of having to tell him his father had been fatally wounded, "Your uncles have gone with him to protect him."

"They're ok?"

She nodded, "They will be," she kissed his head and looked at Morgana and Gwen over his shoulder as she hugged him, all of them able to see the tears in her eyes, "Why don't you help Gaius with his supplies, dear, ok?"

William nodded and wiggled so she set him down and ran to his uncle's side to help him carry his left over herbs, the Druids having supplied quite a lot of them.

"Rayna," Morgana stepped over to her with Gwen and Lancelot, "What happened? Where's Merlin?"

"Arthur was hurt," Marayna told them bluntly, "Mordred saved him, but he was hurt. He and Merlin are taking him to the lake of Avalon to heal him. But there's something else," she looked at them, "We need to fortify the citadel. Morgause is going to attack."

"What?" Gwen breathed, her eyes wide and Marayna reached out to take her daughter back.

"She thinks Arthur's dead, she's still got half her army with her, the scouts came back on our way here...she's marching on Camelot."

"Worse yet," they heard a voice call, and turned to see Benedict dragging Eira behind him, his grip white on her wrist before he threw the woman to the ground before them, "We have a traitor in our midst."

"I saw her sending a crow from her rooms just after Emrys and Gwaine departed," Margaret offered, she and Lyra having come with the man.

"And I got her nice and drunk and got the truth from her," Lyra smirked, "Tsk, tsk Sir Gwaine," she shook her head at him, "Never tell a pretty face where you're heading out on a secret mission."

Gwaine blushed at that, realizing he'd mentioned to Eira when he'd departed with Merlin and Mordred to go to the Crystal Cave that they were headed to the Valley of the Fallen Kings. It had just been a passing comment, she'd been a small survivor of the first attack and he thought she was just a frightened woman who was scared he was leaving as he'd been the one to save her.

"Ray..." Gwaine looked at her.

"It doesn't matter," she shook her head at him, "Merlin survived, Mordred was there to help, and it's not like she can tell them anything now, Morgause won't turn her attack from Camelot just to chase one man, even if Emrys is with him. She wants the kingdom, she can deal with Arthur later. Take her to the dungeons," she ordered Benedict, the man nodding and taking her off.

Percival moved over to Margaret and hugged her tightly, whispering his thanks to her, while Gwaine took a step towards Lyra who rolled her eyes and walked off...Gwaine chasing after her and apologizing to her as well, making Marayna shake her head at him, sure that this time it would be Lyra who got the snog.

~8~

Merlin, Mordred, and Arthur trotted along, making good time on their quest to the lake...when they spotted two men galloping towards them.

"Saxons," Mordred whispered, thankful he'd left his red knight's cape and armor with the others to return it to Camelot as he turned on his horse and quickly put a blanket over Arthur to try and cover him so that the others couldn't see it was the king.

"I'll deal with them," Merlin agreed, getting off his horse and handing Mordred the reins to his horse to hold, "Keep your head down, Arthur. Don't speak," he stepped away from the horses a pace and focused on the woods, making a stream of smoke rise from the middle of the trees, like a campfire going, before turning to shout to the two men, "Help us! Please you have to help us. We were ambushed."

"By who?" one of the men dismounted, Merlin recognizing him from the battle, he must be one of the scouts sent out to see if any of the knights had fled and to deal with them.

"Um...a couple men..."

"What did they look like?"

"Um...one was...a knight," he shrugged, glancing at Arthur and seeing the sword hilt was visible, "They stormed our camp," he pointed to the woods, making the men look over as Mordred reached over and quickly covered the sword before the men turned back.

"You're sure it was a Camelot knight?"

"Yes," he nodded, and then quickly threw out his hands and sent the two men flying backwards with a flash of his eyes, "Come on," he turned and got back on his horse, the three of them continuing on.

~8~

Marayna stood in the Man Hall, looking out the window as Morgana paced behind her, letting out a breath when she saw signal fires going off in the distance, the army was getting closer, "It's time," she breathed, looking at Morgana.

Gwen and Lancelot were with the children and Benedict, ready to flee if this went bad. Morgana was to remain in the citadel with the people, healing if any came through the Bloodguard. And she...

"Rayna?" Morgana whispered, stopping her pacing to look at the queen, at her friend and sister, "What are you going to do?"

The plan was that she would join the Bloodguard in facing Morgause and her army, any knights who were able to join her. But...there was something in Marayna's stance, in how she'd kissed her children goodbye, in her eyes...that told Morgana she knew something that no one else did.

"I'm going to show Morgause why she should NEVER attack a castle when the queen is a mother and her children are inside," she said, turning to stride for the doors, "She has no idea what I'm capable of or what I'd give up for my children and my people."

"Rayna!" Morgana called, the last line startling her, but Marayna was already out the doors...and then seemed to realize that she could transport herself because the next thing Morgana could see...a swirl of dust and wind rose in the middle of the Bloodguard.

"You men," Marayna called as she got her bearings, seeing the Bloodguard with her, "With me," she turned and strode away, leading the men out, knowing Morgana was watching, knowing the woman was worried, but she shouldn't be. No one should be afraid anymore. Because she was going to end this now, she was going to stop Morgause if it was the last thing she did...and she knew it would be.

Because she knew she was to fall in this battle, that she would die for the kingdom to continue, for her children to be safe. And that was the most dangerous thing Morgause could ever face, someone going into battle knowing they would die...because there was no fear. She'd accepted it long ago that this was coming, that this was her destiny, and she would see it done. Nothing would scare her, nothing would stop her, she would die, but she'd do it bringing Morgause down with her.

"Today we fight for the future and the safety of all," she said simply, "And..." she hesitated before looking back at them, "Protect yourselves," she told them, "And protect each other. Do NOT concern yourself with ME, is that understood?" the men stiffened at that, shifting as they realized the meaning in her words, "I go into this knowingly," she added, the only woman among them, "And I go into this for everything Camelot represents. Morgause is MINE."

And with that, she turned and faced the approaching army, taking a deep breath before she let out the command to start the attack.

~8~

They'd had to stop to rest, take a moment to eat, change Arthur's bandages, and just rest. They'd ridden hard all day and they were so close, they were within miles of the lake and even with Arthur insisting they go on...they really did have to rest, let the horses rest and feed.

"Here," Merlin smiled as he and Mordred helped get food in Arthur. Mordred had gathered wood and started a fire while he had gathered enough for some soup and leaned over to help Arthur eat. His wound was getting worse, his arm couldn't move and moving his other arm caused pain in his chest so he was feeding the man, "This should help."

Arthur opened his mouth, taking a bite, "We haven't been here in a while," he joked, thinking back to when Merlin had been his servant. It seemed so long ago, he honestly almost couldn't imagine the man being anything but his brother, "I never asked you...why did you and Mara stay?" he'd always wondered it, "Everything I put you through. Everything I did to you both. Why/"

"At first it was because it was our destiny," Merlin shrugged, "I mean, after that first day, that was really the only thing that kept me there."

"I tried to take your head off with a mace," Arthur recalled.

"And I stopped you, using magic."

"Cheater."

"You were going to kill me!" Merlin laughed, joking.

"I'm glad I didn't though," Arthur admitted, "Mara would kill me."

Merlin smiled, glancing at Mordred as he stroked the fire before turning back to the man, "But after that...it became more because...you were our friend. MY friend, and Aya's...well, something more than a friend," he mused, "It became a matter of us seeing you for who you were and that was someone important to us."

"It's why you have to survive," Mordred agreed, "Without you, Camelot's nothing."

"There was a time when that was true," Arthur sighed, "Not now. There are many who can fill the crown. If anything happens to me...William will be a wonderful king when he's old enough, and I know Mara will rule the kingdom well till he can take up his position."

"Nothing will happen to you," Merlin promised, "I'm not about to leave my nephew fatherless," he looked at him, "Our children will have something none of us had," he gripped Arthur's hand in his vow, "BOTH parents."

"And more uncles and aunts than it can count," Mordred added with a smile.

"Now, don't make me transport Aya here to tell you to eat your food," Merlin smirked, "We need you strong for the last few miles."

"We're almost there sire," Mordred nodded, "Um, brother," he corrected when Arthur shot him a look, "The sooner we arrive, the sooner we can get you back to your family."

"OUR family," Arthur murmured, smiling at the thought of it, feeling hope bubble in him...maybe the Disir had been wrong.

~8~

The people had left the Citadel, they'd left the safeholds, but they were still in the castle and the kingdom and the battle was still raging just outside the walls. The people had gathered on them, on the battlements and the walls and windows and every place they could to watch what was happening. They knew their king was a fierce warrior, they were quite aware...but their Queen? THAT they hadn't been expecting, but there she was, in the middle of the fray, striding through the Saxons as though they weren't there, casting them aside with rushes of magic, on a warpath for Morgause. They had never seen a battle of the sort one mixed of men and magic, of swords and sorcery...nor had they ever chanced to imagine just how powerful their Queen was. Morgause seemed to forget that while they didn't have much opportunity to investigate magical occurrences like with Gwen, they DID have time to study on their own.

For years Marayna had been staying within the castle while the others went out, mostly it was for the children, but there was another factor in it. Saving her strength, building her strength, building her skill and spell arsenal...and she was more than willing to let loose on the sorceress what had plagued them for nearly a decade. She had quite a lot of pent up anger against Morgause, how she had tried to manipulate Morgana, how she'd nearly killed her brother a dozen times, how she'd tried to have Gwen kill her children, how she'd organized this entire battle to strike Arthur down...she was NOT going to let the woman get away this time.

"Morgause!" Marayna shouted as she reached the woman, she knew, if she could just get Morgause taken care of, that the Saxons would fall, she was the one with the most magic, she was the one that they were relying on to give them the win now that the numbers were more than equal and with the Bloodguard helping...Camelot was gaining foothold and fast.

"Well, well, well," Morgause sneered as she turned to see the Queen of Camelot before her, "What a joy it is to see you, Reesa," she sneered, "Your husband may have won the battle but I will see the war MINE. I will see Camelot fall, I will see my sister suffer, and I will see your title for my own."

Marayna scoffed, "You truly think it's that easy to claim the title of High Priestess? I've already named my successor, my daughter, and she is well protected. You so much as breach those walls and she's gone, safe and FAR away from you with the rightful heir to the throne. And I swear to the gods Morgause, they are my children, they are Arthur's children, and they will avenge us and reclaim their kingdom as Arthur has done numerous times in the past. William will sit on the throne and Rosaline will be the High Priestess and there is NOTHING you can do to stop it!"

"Watch me!" Morgause screeched sending a fire ball right at Marayna.

But Marayna caught it, "If you think I'm THAT easy to defeat...you're wrong."

"My Lady no!" one of the Bloodguard called, seeing the fireball in her hand starting to travel up her arm, realizing what she was doing.

"Stop!" another member called.

But Marayna shook her head, "No, this HAS to happen, and it has to happen NOW."

The people watched in shock and awe as she threw out her free arm and sent Morgause flying into the wall of the castle, before the fire spread up to her shoulder, starting to spin around her, creating a spiral of fire around her, seeping into the ground around her, an immense heat wafting off of her as she glared at Morguase. She'd done this once before, to Nimueh, she'd conjured a firefiend, it fed off life force, it fed off magic, and Nimueh had been weak compared to Morgause...this would take more.

This would take everything.

Marayna brought her hands together, Morgause pinned to the wall, and took a breath, throwing her arms out, sending the fire racing for her, the end of it seeming to take the vague shape of a dragon, before it hit her. Morgause screamed as the fire swirled around her engulfing her, her eyes flashing as her magic tried to fight against it, but Marayna pushed harder, sent more magic, more life into the fires, trapping the sorceress in the flames. It had been prophesized in Mogause's own mind that Emrys would be her doom, and it was true, because she was doing this for her brother, for her husband and her sister and her people, but especially for her brother. She would rather this be her than him, he needed to live to see his child born.

The people watched in shock and horror and awe as the greatest threat against Camelot disintegrated into ashes before their very eyes...before their Queen fell to the ground and didn't get up.

~8~

It had been close, getting to the lake in time, they'd nearly run into Saxons again, but Mordred had used his magic to make a false trail for them, leading them off the opposite way. But they were there, they were finally there! They were half thankful that Morgause hadn't attacked them, but also half concerned because they knew it likely meant that Marayna was right and Morgause had likely gone on to attack the Citadel. They were hoping beyond hope that the Bloodguard had been able to stop them, to cut them down enough for the rest of the army to fight back and win, that the Citadel would be fine.

They were there now, they'd reached the lake and Arthur still drew breath even as Mordred and Merlin lowered him to the edge of the lake, letting him catch his breath before they started what they'd come to do.

"There's something I want to say..." Arthur began, grabbing Merlin's arm before he could step forward and summon the Sidhe.

"If you're going to say goodbye..." Merlin warned.

"No," Arthur winced, "I just...for everything you've done, for me, for Camelot, for the kingdom you and your family helped me build...I want to say thank you," he breathed.

Merlin put his hand on Arthur's, "You're welcome."

"And you Mordred," Arthur looked at the other man, "Thank you, for all you've done."

"It was nothing," Mordred whispered.

Merlin smiled, about to make a joke about how Arthur was being 'such a girl' now much like how Arthur used to say that to him...when he and Mordred suddenly hunched over, their hands gripping their heads, gasping and panting as they looked up, their eyes wide in fear.

"What?" Arthur looked between them, "What is it?!"

"Aya," Merlin breathed, "She's...something happened," he looked at Arthur, "Something happened to her!"

Arthur swallowed hard, "Summon the Sidhe NOW," he ordered, "And then summon the Dragon."

~8~

"Dragon!" the cry went up in the courtyard, the guards and knights rushing with their spears and swords, ready to attack...when Morgana ran out of the castle.

"Stand down!" she shouted, "Stand down, he's an ally!"

The knights seemed hesitant but obeyed their princess, rushing back to allow the dragon room to land and then they saw it, Arthur, Merlin, and Mordred on the creature's back.

The men could hardly call their thanks back to Kilgharrah before they ran to Morgana, "Where's Mara?!" he demanded.

"Arthur..." Morgana began, tears in her eyes, her face paler than they could remember her being.

"Morgana, where is she?" Arthur cut in.

"She fell," a small voice said behind her and they could see Gwen standing there with Lancelot's arms around her, "She...she fell in battle."

"What?" Merlin breathed, Mordred shaking his head as though he were stunned.

Lancelot swallowed hard, "She faced Morgause, she attacked just like Rayna feared...and she faced her. She um...there was fire..."

"She conjured a firefiend," Morgana told Merlin, "Just like with Nimueh."

"She nearly died that time!" Merlin cried...and then it hit him, "Gana..." he breathed, realizing what they were saying.

Morgana immediately went to her husband and hugged him tightly.

"She's in the physician's chambers," Gwen offered and Arthur was off, running down the halls, needing to get to his wife and see for himself.

Arthur half burst into the chambers, seeing Gwaine was there, Percival and Leon helping what was left of the wounded and destruction, "Arthur..." Gwaine began.

Arthur just shook his head not to talk and ran over to his wife, lying on a cot, Gaius beside her. She was pale, paler than death, with dark shadows under her eyes, sweat on her brow, her lips a bit blue...but then he saw it, her chest was rising, shallowly, but it was rising, she was breathing, "Mara..." he breathed, reaching out to take her hand, "Gaius?" he looked at him.

"Arthur," Gaius reached out to touch Arthur's shoulder, "You must understand...it will take a while for her to regain her strength..."

"But she's alive?" he whispered, needing to know, needing to be sure he wasn't imagining it.

Gaius swallowed hard, "It was clsoe...and...we DID lose her," he was honest, "Her heart stopped after she vanquished Morgause..."

"What?" Arthur stared at him, though it was more from his choice of words than what he'd actually said that had shocked him. Her heart had stopped...the Disir, they'd said the Heart of Camelot had to stop for the kingdom to continue. He'd thought it was HIM they'd been talking about...but...he closed his eyes, the bridgekeeper, he'd called him Courage, he'd asked him about Heart, Strength, and Magic and he KNEW Heart was Marayna and he...he'd misinterpreted it...

Just like his father likely had the conditions about his mother's life.

He felt ill, he felt terrible, he'd nearly bargained away his wife's life for his kingdom, just as his father had done for his son's life.

"But she lives?" he looked at Gaius.

"Yes," he nodded, "The Bloodguard are always to protect the High Priestess."

"The Bloodguard?" Arthur blinked not understanding what that had to do with anything.

"Benedict gave his life to bring her back," Gwaine told him quietly, "The Druids brought the Cup of Life with them when they took refuge here...Benedict offered his life for hers."

Arthur let out a breath at that and felt tears in his eyes, bringing Marayna's hand to his lips to kiss it, pressing the back of it to his forehead as he openly cried and swore to himself Benedict would be honored for his sacrifice.

~8~

It had truly taken months, months for Marayna to recover from what she'd done...much to her irritation, she hated being sick or bedridden and she'd been that for three months before she'd been able to walk about. She'd gotten to spend quite a bit of time with her children though and Arthur was at her side every spare moment he had. Finally though, she was up and about and unable to stop smiling as she walked into the courtyard with her small family. All of them were there for something they'd been attempting to do for a while but had to wait on.

They were going to summon Aithusa.

Or really...William was.

Benedict, Morgana and Merlin's son would one day be able to do the same, but for now, with Merlin alive, William was the one they wanted to see do it.

She laughed as she saw her son rushing about, playing with the children, not just the nobles, but the peasant children as well, just loving spending time with them and being accepted by them and their parents. Camelot was thriving now that magic was returned, and everything was finally at peace with the threat of Morgause gone. The people had actually spoken to Arthur to tell him they were...quite glad that Marayna was his wife, that a witch was their queen and that their heirs had magic. Having lived with so many threats to Camelot coming from magic, to see her using it to such a degree to save them and protect them...they liked the thought of one of their rulers having that sort of magic. The fact that William had magic as well meant that they knew ALL people would be safe and protected.

They'd had to wait to call Aithusa as there were still a few rogue Saxons scattered about and they wanted to be sure that they were ALL dealt with before summoning the dragon that had attacked the men and fought for Morgause. They didn't know what sort of temperament the small Dragon would be in, if they'd be an enemy or a savior to it. So they wanted to make sure ALL the magic users were at full health before calling the Dragon there as well. They were all there, all of them except Leon really, he was spending quite a bit of time in Nemeth as the 'ambassador' as Arthur dubbed him, though they all knew he was more there for personal connections than political.

Gwaine was there with Lyra, Percival and Margaret, Merlin and Morgana and Benedict in her arms, Gwen and Lancelot (who both hadn't stopped smiling since the night before when they'd revealed Gwen was with child as well), Mordred and Kara who were betrothed now, and, of course, Arthur, Marayna, Rosaline, and William, Gaius wandering about behind them with Alice, all gathered to see about Aithusa.

"Are you ready son?" Arthur asked as William ran back to his parents with a wide grin on his face from his games.

"Yes!" William nodded, beaming, SO excited to call a Dragon like his uncle.

"Ok," Marayna crouched before him Arthur holding Rosaline in his arms, "Just take your time and remember the spell?"

"I do mummy," he nodded, taping his head, before he turned around and took a few steps before them, looking up and shouting in an adorable four year old voice, "_O drakon, e mala soi ftengometh tesd'hup anankes! Erkheo_!"

A moment later a hush fell upon the area as a small white Dragon descended and landed before them, making William jump back slightly, never having seen the Dragon before in person, though he stared at it in awe.

Aithusa looked at them with sorrow in its eyes, before Morgana handed Benedict to Merlin and stepped over to it cautiously, a spell Kilgharrah had given her in mind, a spell she had tricked the Dragon into giving her and used on him as well, the only spell he knew of that could help heal a Dragon, and got right to work healing the small white Dragon of all the injuries it had sustained over the years with Morgause, mending its bones, erasing its scars, healing its voice and eyes. Aithusa let out a happy roar and spread its wings widely, sounding almost like it was cawing at the sky before it bundled its wings in and nuzzled Morgana's face before William ran over to pet it, the rest of the children that had been there gathering around to do the same.

Arthur laughed as Rosaline wiggled in his arms and he set her down, the girl taking a few wobbly steps towards the dragon too, having started walking only last month. William saw his sister coming and ran to take her hand, walking with her to the Dragon and helped her pet the dragon.

Marayna looked over as Arthur wound an arm around her waist, the two of them just...looking, at their children, at their family, at their people and kingdom and future...

It had never looked brighter.

~8~

"_Though no man, no matter how great, can know his destiny, some lives have been foretold. King Arthur of Camelot, the Once and Future King, his sister Morgana, the Healer and Seer. Queen Marayna, his wife, the High Priestess, and her brother Merlin, the Archmage and Dragonlord are but a few that have. Take heart, for when Albion's destiny shall endure, the golden kingdom that would last centuries more. The souls of Arthur and his most trusted court shall never fade from this earth and, when the time has come again, so too shall they rise for the story they have created, the legend of Camelot, will live long in the minds of men._"

The End

A/N: I can't believe it's over! O.O I'm so sad :( It was such a blast making Marayna and adding her into the series. And I'm so glad you guys enjoyed her :) So 2 very important notes to follow...

First note...POTENTIAL SEQUEL!

Lol, got your attention? :) I have an idea for a sequel in mind, not a 'Series 6' because it wouldn't continue in Camelot but...in the future! Or at least the modern day :) Reincarnation story anyone? :) I will say that I am in love with the idea of reincarnation in shows and stories, especially if it's about people in love who find each other again...that's probably why I'm a Rebel shipper for the show Roswell lol :) But anyway, I've been knocking around an idea to try a sort of modern take on the story for Arthur and Marayna and their friends that would not quite just retell the series again in modern times, but more have strong parallels to certain events from the past and just sort of see if anything comes from it. I have a lot to hash out (whether I want magic to be part of it or a metaphor for some other talent, whether I want them to get glimpses of their pasts, whether I keep the names or make them modern, etc), but it's a definite idea. I can't say when it would be up. Possibly next year as I haven't even really outlined it much, but if enough people are interested, I'll definitely try my best to get it written :) It would probably be just 1 story and MUCH more than just 23 chapters, I can't say how many it would be in total either.

Second note...POTENTIAL SPINOFF!

I'm considering a spin off that would follow the lives of William and Rosaline as they grow up, along with other little things in the timeline of Camelot. Almost like a mini-Series 6 but without the major adventures and magical threats that make up an episode. Sort of like key moments in their lives, a little Gwaine/Lyra, Percival/Margaret, and other moments. The Death of Gaius, the passing of Arthur, William's coronation and so on, really just like snapshots in the history of Camelot. It would probably be disjointed, just sort of whatever moments come to mind, so we might get Arthur's death one chapter and then him playing with a grandchild the next or something like that :)

So...anyone interested in one? The other? Both? Neither? Let me know ;) I'll definitely consider them if enough people are interested :)

Also! For anyone who's a fan of Once Upon a Time, check back in about 6-7 hours for the start of my Once Upon a Time Gold/OC series ;)

Final note...I just want to take a second to thank all of you, everyone who's read/reviewed/favorited/followed/anything this series. I was really nervous about this series because I've only attempted one story where I did an original chapter between episodes and this was the firs in an actual series where I did it continuously throughout and I always get SO nervous about the original ones. I'm really just so touched that you've enjoyed the story and that you like Marayna :') You guys are just so amazing and I'm glad I was able to produce a good story for you :')

Some notes on reviews...

I'm pretty busy at the moment, especially with our new puppy (he's adorable but SO much work lol) I'll try my best to help though :)

That's a-ok with me :) I only really have an issue if people post the actual stories on other sites where people can read and comment on them there as I like to keep everything on FF :/ But since you said it's just the cover and a link right to FF that's cool with me :) Thanks for asking and I'm very glad that you like the stories so much that you'd like to instagram it :)

I like to think the necklace was his father's :) I'm glad you like Lyra and Margaret so far :) I tried to make Margaret as small and petite as possible just because I like the contrast of someone as big as Percival with a smaller woman, probably brings out even more protective instincts ;)


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